


Parallel Worlds

by DarkSuperSonic14



Series: Parallel Worlds [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: F/M, Female Tsuna - Freeform, Genderbending, mafia storyline
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-03-08 20:58:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 67,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3223238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkSuperSonic14/pseuds/DarkSuperSonic14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsunayoshi Sawada, a 16 year old GIRL, finds out she's the little sister of the great mafia boss Giotto Vongola. Her existence had been kept hidden for the last 16 years, but now she had to return to Italy to be by her brother's side. With an unknown enemy keen on destroying the Vongola family, Giotto requires his little sister's power to stop this villain. Tsuna has to learn how to survive in a world where even the smallest thing could put her life in danger. However, with her new guardians, she finds her heart torn in every direction as all of them seem to have their eye on her. But who's after her for her status, and who's after her for love?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

“Tsuna… Tsuna… Wake up!” called out a male voice. Tsunayoshi Sawada, a young 16 year old girl grumbled in her sleep as she rolled over, avoiding the source of the shakes and noise. 

“It’s too early…” she mumbled in her sleep, unaware that the male’s patience was wearing. 

“Tsuna, if you don’t wake up in the next 10 seconds I will reveal all your embarrassing photos to everyone in town” he warned, making Tsuna’s brown eyes open immediately in shock. She jumped up into a sitting position, turning to glare at the male.

“Reborn! What is your issue!?” she questioned, turning to glance at her alarm clock. Her eyes widened upon seeing the numbers, before she turned to glare at Reborn again.

“It’s 4:30 in the morning!” she exclaimed, completely exasperated. Reborn merely adjusted his fedora, hiding his almost jet black eyes in the shadow. His expression was gravely serious, making Tsuna tense up more.

“We’ve got trouble. Get up, get dressed and pack only a small bag of stuff. Hurry!” Reborn ordered, turning and running out the room to, what Tsuna assumed, get ready himself. Tsuna pushed off the heavy covers, getting up and looking around the room. Nothing looked any different, why was Reborn so fidgety all of a sudden? Getting dressed in a black skirt, white shirt and green hoodie, she quickly adjusted her sneakers on her feet as the door opened again and Reborn was standing there, looking just as serious as before.

“Almost done? We need to go, now! We can buy stuff you need later” Reborn asked, holding his hand out to her. Tsuna glanced up at the tall male curiously. Reborn had been hired by her parents to tutor her for school; however he’d grown almost into a big brother in her eyes. He protected her from bullies at school, taught her more stuff than what school ever did, and practically raised her instead of her parents. Her mother and father had moved overseas for her father’s work; however Reborn had offered to look after Tsuna so she wouldn’t have to move. Tsuna knew she owed Reborn a lot, so when Reborn said jump, Tsuna jumped. If Reborn said duck, Tsuna would duck, no questions asked, not until later. Now that Reborn was acting so serious, Tsuna knew she had no reason to doubt him. Grabbing his hand, she allowed Reborn to pull her to her feet and begin dragging her down the stairs to their front door. Her long hair flowed behind her as she struggled to keep up with him. 

“R-Reborn… what’s going on?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Reborn leaned against the wall, grabbing the door handle and pulling it open a bit. He peeked his head outside, his hand still holding Tsuna’s tightly. 

“We need to get you out of here… It’s not safe here, they’ve found out where you are…” Reborn stated, making Tsuna’s eyes widen in shock.

“N-Not safe? Found me? Who’s found me?” Tsuna asked, completely and utterly confused. Reborn’s behaviour was also very strange too. The man was normally so calm, confident and sometimes rather harsh, but here he was, cowering and looking around nervously, acting skittish. Tsuna could barely believe that there was something in this world that could scare him. She opened her mouth to ask again before there was a loud bang by the back door. Tsuna felt herself jump, a scream escaping her mouth before Reborn quickly covered her mouth with his hand. Tsuna’s eyes widened in shock, her pulse thrashing loudly in her head. She could barely comprehend what was happening due to the loud hammering of her heart beat. Reborn uncovered her mouth, shoving her behind him as she felt her eyes widen, seeing him pull a large black object out his pocket. Reborn gripped the gun tightly, aiming it where the crash had come from. Tsuna gasped when several men clad in black ran around the corner, all holding guns.

“Get Tsunayoshi Sawada! Dead or alive!” they called out to each other as Reborn fired several times, making Tsuna let out another scream as she covered her ears in fright. They wanted her life? Why? Tsuna’s eyes darted around to keep track of what was going on, seeing all of the men in black fall to the ground one by one. Reborn turned to look at the door, but Tsuna’s heart nearly stopped at the cold look in his eyes. This was the Reborn she knew, but at the same time it wasn’t. Reborn’s eyes were normally this cold, but he usually wore a smile or a smirk. 

“Come on!” Reborn yelled, grabbing her wrist with his spare hand and dragging her behind him as he ripped the door open and ran out, jumping down the stairs and heading to the sidewalk. Tsuna nearly tripped on the stairs, looking up at Reborn’s back. What on earth was going on? People suddenly wanted her dead? 

“R-Reborn…” she whimpered, her voice trembling as her situation suddenly fell upon her, tears filling her eyes. Reborn turned his head, his eyes widening at seeing the tears on her face. He quickly looked ahead, pulling her along behind him as they approached the supermarket.

“Sorry, I don’t have time to explain yet… Let’s find a hiding spot and I’ll explain everything” Reborn apologised, leading her to the door. Reborn looked around, and then kicked the lock on the scroll door, lifting it up with his hands. Turning to look at Tsuna, Tsuna wiped her face with the back of her hand.

“Get in” Reborn ushered, putting a hand on her back and gently pushing her inside. Once they were both in, he slid the door shut. Tsuna looked around, not used to seeing all the stores inside closed and shut. The whole building was dark, giving it a creepy aura. Tsuna hugged her arms tightly around her chest, looking around nervously. Reborn walked to her, sheathing his gun in his pocket as he put a hand on her head, gently leading her to a small corridor that led to the toilets. Sitting against the wall, he patted the spot next to him, urging her to sit beside him. Tsuna sniffed, sitting beside him and hugging her knees to her chest, her shoulders shaking. Reborn watched her trembling form before putting his hand back on her head, letting it rest there gently. Tsuna blinked, looking at him.

“What’s going on Reborn?” she asked, her eyes trembling. Reborn’s small smile faded as he looked away, glaring at the ground. 

“You see, your parents haven’t been very honest with you. They’re not your parents; they were just tasked with raising and protecting you as a child. Eventually they were recalled and I was sent to raise and protect you instead. We made the transition slowly so you wouldn’t be damaged by it” Reborn explained, seeing Tsuna’s eyes widen in shock. Her parents weren’t even her real parents?

“T-They were recalled? Why?” she asked, deciding to stick to the core points. Reborn smiled sadly at her.

“They got too attached. They cared too much and that was dangerous for you and your situation. I was then sent to teach you how to protect yourself as well, hence why I was teaching you martial arts this whole time. But now your existence and location has been leaked, putting your life in danger” Reborn continued to explain. Tsuna rubbed under her nose, trying to clear it as she sniffed again.

“Why am I in danger? Who are my parents exactly?” she asked, watching Reborn again as he gently ruffled her hair.

“Your parents are dead… I’m sorry about that… But you have an older brother, and he’s trying to protect his baby sister, he did so by hiding her existence and making her live far away from him, but now you have to return to him” Reborn stated, seeing Tsuna’s eyes widen again at the mentioning of a brother.

“I-I have a brother?! Who is he if he has to protect me?” Tsuna exclaimed. Reborn smirked at her.

“Why, it’s Giotto Vongola” Reborn explained. Tsuna raised a brow, tilting her head in confusion.

“Who’s Giotto Vongola?” she asked, seeing Reborn chuckle more to himself.

“I’m not surprised you don’t know him. You’ll find out more about him when our contact gets here…” Reborn explained, smiling gently at her before hearing a clunk sound. Reborn’s eyes narrowed as he shot to his knees, drawing his gun. Tsuna gulped, staring at the gun in terror as Reborn pushed her against the wall, moving to stand protectively in front of her. 

“Someone’s found us…” Reborn whispered. Tsuna felt her breath hitch in her throat, but she swallowed to clear it.

“M-Maybe it’s the contact…?” she asked, her voice shaking. Reborn shook his head.

“No, the contact is supposed to text me when he gets here… This is someone who came here uninvited…” Reborn stated. Tsuna’s eyes widened more as she saw Reborn point his gun at the entrance to the hallway. 

“Where is he!? He’s late!” Reborn hissed, grabbing his phone and throwing it to Tsuna. Tsuna gasped, catching it and looking at the screen. No messages had appeared yet. 

“We might catch a lucky break, get up! Come on!” Reborn urged turning and grabbing Tsuna’s arm, pulling her up to her feet. Tsuna stumbled, but managed to begin running after Reborn. A gunshot suddenly rang out in the air, making Tsuna’s eyes widen as she felt the shot graze shoulder. Reborn turned his head, his eyes wide as he shoved Tsuna behind him, drawing his gun and firing. A cry rang out in the hallway followed by a loud thud. Tsuna stood against the wall, her body trembling as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Her shoulder was stinging, but it’d only just lightly scratched the skin. Reborn pushed her forward, glancing down at the phone in her hands. There were still no new messages. 

“Tch! Slow dumbass!” he cursed, pushing her into the next area, knowing there was no way any of the goons in black could approach from behind. He’d boxed them into a corner, but the exit was nearby as well. He gripped the gun tightly, peeking over the wall. Tsuna stared at the wall, her mind blank before she felt a vibration in her hands. Glancing down, her eyes widened at what she saw. One new message!

“Reborn!” She exclaimed, holding the phone out as his eyes widened. Tsuna gasped, realising she’d just shouted and she retreated into the wall again. Reborn turned, running out from behind the wall and kicked at the latch for the door. He lifted it up, hearing footsteps heading their way. 

“Hurry! Get out!” he shouted. Tsuna’s eyes widened as she rushed out, turning to wait for him but froze when she saw him staying there. He held the door up, a sad smile on his face.

“Reborn? Come on! They’re coming!” she urged, tears beginning to fill her eyes. Reborn gripped his gun, smirking as he held it up to show.

“Sorry Tsuna… But I have to protect something incredibly important to me…” Reborn stated, smirking when he saw a man with chin length blonde hair and brown eyes approaching. He placed a hand on Tsuna’s shoulder, making her jump as she turned to glance at the strange man.

“Take care of her Dino… I’m counting on you” Reborn stated, standing straight as he began closing the door. Tsuna’s eyes widened as she saw the sad look on Dino’s face, before turning to look at Reborn.

“Wait! Reborn! What could be so important you have to stay and die to protect it!?” she yelled, the tears falling down her face as Dino grabbed both her shoulders from behind, preventing her from running to him. Reborn smiled at her.

“You of course…” he replied before closing the door shut. Tsuna stood there in shock for a few seconds before a string of gunshots were heard. She felt Dino wrap his arms around her, leading her to their car before the situation fully hit her. She reached out towards the door, inhaling deeply, the tears falling down her face.

“REBORN!!!!” she screamed out into the night air.


	2. Warm Hands

The drive was agonisingly long, especially to Tsuna, who sat between a man named Dino and another man named Romario. She hugged her arms tightly around her chest, her face still tear stained, small sniffs and hiccups escaping her. Dino looked down at her worriedly, unsure if he was allowed to console her. His orders had been absolute, get Tsunayoshi Sawada to Italy and get her safely to Giotto Vongola. But the poor girl was so badly traumatised from losing Reborn; surely he could at least get her to stop crying? 

“Tsunayoshi…” Dino whispered, catching her attention as she turned to glance at him. Romario frowned, unsure about Dino’s actions.

“Boss…” he whispered in a warning, but Dino flashed him a reassuring smile.

“Relax Romario… Surely talking to her can’t hurt… After all, if I were travelling with strangers, I’d want someone to talk to as well” Dino stated, smiling down at Tsuna. Tsuna blinked in confusion, tilting her head slightly. She’d been quiet the whole drive, and it was worrying Dino. He suddenly flashed a grin, putting a hand on Tsuna’s head, gently ruffling her hair.

“Don’t worry about it Tsuna. Everything will sort itself out, I promise! Your life will settle down to a point you can call it normal” Dino reassured, still grinning at her. Tsuna felt like this man was very similar to her, in some strange way. Was it his goofy nature or maybe the fact like she felt he was incredibly clumsy? She glanced up at the hand on top of her head, feeling the warmth of his palm through the scalp of her head. It felt warm and familiar. Like the hand that had rested on her head just a few hours ago. Tsuna sniffed, feeling new tears beginning to form in her eyes. They stung, and she knew she couldn’t hold them. They began flowing from her eyes as she grit her teeth, her shoulders shaking as she looked down, new sobs beginning to come out of her. Dino’s smile faded slowly to a sympathetic look, before he put his hand behind her head, pulling her to his jacket and holding her against him gently. Tsuna’s eyes widened at the warm embrace, but she didn’t fight it. This was something she desperately needed, she knew it. 

“You miss him, don’t you? I do too… He was my teacher for a while as well, though he never became a father to me like he did to you…” Dino asked, making Tsuna’s eyes widen as she looked up from his jacket, looking at his face. Dino’s eyes were shaking as well. He was worried about his tutor, but he was holding strong for her sake. Romario shifted, searching through his bag by his feet. 

“Boss is right Tsuna… Here, you didn’t get breakfast, right? We’ll be flying on a plane soon, try to eat something” Romario offered, holding out a cereal bar. Tsuna glanced at the bar, debating over taking it, but she reached out, taking the bar from Romario. He smiled in relief, instantly reminding Tsuna of her first father’s smile. Iemitsu Sawada, he smiled just like that. Tsuna hadn’t seen him since she was ten. Shaking him out of her thoughts, she looked down at the bar in her hands, seeing it was one of those kid’s ones that were coated in chocolate. Looking up at Romario again, she raised a brow.

“Chocolate?” she asked, speaking her first word since entering the car. Dino and Romario suddenly sighed loudly, startling Tsuna as she looked between the two of them in confusion.

“You finally spoke…” Dino stated, looking incredibly relieved. Romario chuckled, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

“I thought the chocolate might appeal more to you, sorry… I’ve never really socialised much with young girls… I don’t know what’s ‘hip and in’…” Romario apologised, making Tsuna giggle a little. She smiled up at him, holding the bar tightly in her hands.

“Thank you…” she thanked, looking down at the bar and opening it. The smell of chocolate instantly hit her, making her realise just how hungry she was. Taking a bite, she chewed slowly to savour the taste. It felt like it’d been forever since she last tasted chocolate, when she knew that wasn’t true. She’d had chocolate a few days ago when Reborn bought a cake to celebrate her 16th birthday. No, she had to get Reborn out her head; otherwise she’d end up crying again. She’d worried these two nice men enough. 

“Um… Dino? Where are we going exactly? Reborn never said…” she asked, seeing Dino smile gently.

“We’re going to Italy, that’s where your brother is waiting” Dino explained, seeing Tsuna’s eyes widen in shock. Italy? They were going all the way to Italy? Dino chuckled a little, smirking.

“It’s alright Tsuna, you already have a passport, you had one when you were a baby!” Dino explained, pulling out a book from his pocket. Was that… Tsuna’s passport? Dino grinned goofily as he opened it, revealing the photo inside. Tsuna’s eyes widened as she saw a picture of herself as a baby, big brown eyes open wide, her thumb in her mouth while holding a chain in her other hand. There was a ring attached to the chain, and it looked like Tsuna had been shaking the chain around when the photo was taken. But that didn’t hide the fact that it was embarrassing for Tsuna to let people see her baby photos. 

“G-Give that here!” she exclaimed, her cheeks burning as she tried to snatch the passport out Dino’s hand. He dodged her hand, using his spare hand to hold her head down, stopping her from trying to grab at him. He studied the photo in exaggerated thought.

“Hm… You were so cute back then… What happened?” he asked sarcastically, making Tsuna glare at him. He grinned back at her.

“Just kidding! You’re still cute, in a tomboyish way. But seriously, what happened? When you were a baby you wore dresses and stuff, now you’re a tomboy” Dino asked, feeling Tsuna pull away from him and look down her clothing. Was it really that tomboyish? She was wearing a skirt… Sure, there were mini shorts on underneath.

“I don’t really know… I just started dressing this way when Reborn came…” Tsuna explained in a soft whisper, continuing to eat her cereal bar. Dino looked at her with a soft expression, before gently closing her passport and placing it on her leg. Tsuna looked at it, and then turned to look at Dino.

“You’ll need it when we get to the airport” Dino explained, gently ruffling her hair again. He removed his hand, putting it back on his own leg as Tsuna returned to eating her bar. She had to keep going, keep being strong; otherwise Reborn would never be able to rest. 

“Boss, we’re approaching the airport… At this rate we should be taking off at first daylight” Romario stated, peering out the window before looking down at the clock on his wrist. Tsuna looked up at Romario, raising a brow curiously.

“U-Um… how long will it take to get to Italy anyway?” Tsuna asked, seeing Romario smile at her.

“We’ll be making a few stops. We’ll be going from Tokyo to Mumbai, then to London and then to Rome. It’ll take about a day” Romario explained. Tsuna nodded, looking back at her food. So they had to stop in several other countries before getting to Italy. Hopefully the enemy wasn’t hiding in those countries, waiting for them. 

Eventually the car stopped and Tsuna felt someone tugging at her hoodie. Turning, she saw Dino pulling it up over her head, tucking her hair into her hoodie.

“We need you to hide your hair. If they’re here, they’ll find you from that… You’ve got the distinctive Vongola hairstyle…” Dino explained, pulling the hoodie over her head and hiding most of her hair. Only a few tuffs of her brown fringe were showing. Dino looked at Romario, holding out his hand.

“Romario, your glasses” Dino stated, making Romario take off his sunglasses and watched as Dino placed them on Tsuna’s face, hiding her eyes. He smiled triumphantly.

“There, barely recognisable” he stated, opening the door and holding out a hand to Tsuna. She looked at the hand, taking it as she felt Dino pull her out the car. Dino looked around as Romario exited from the other side, looking around as well. Tsuna stood close to Dino, holding onto his jacket tightly. She was scared again, looking around nervously. This person could be anyone; it was like looking for a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Dino put his hand gently over Tsuna’s head, leading her out the car park and to the terminal. 

“Boss, our flight leaves in five minutes. We need to hurry!” Romario stated, looking at his watch again. Dino nodded, beginning to run as Tsuna rushed to keep up with him. Approaching the terminal they needed to get on, Dino pulled out two black books as Tsuna pulled out her own, handing it to Dino. Dino presented them to the flight attendant who checked through them, stamped them and handed them back to Dino. Dino nodded to the woman who nodded back. Tsuna looked between the two of them in confusion before Dino grabbed her wrist, pulling her along behind him as they walked up the pathway and boarded the plane. 

“This isn’t a passenger plane, its Giotto’s private jet. There’s someone already on board you need to meet” Dino explained, smiling at Tsuna who gasped. Her brother owned a private jet? Was that even legal? Boarding the plane, Tsuna looked around curiously. It was so nice inside, with expensive looking seats, a few couches, tables, there was even a bar! Tsuna’s jaw dropped as she stepped inside, looking at all the lush, expensive things in the jet. 

“Tsunayoshi Sawada?” asked a male voice. Tsuna turned to the source, seeing a man standing in front of her, a scowl on his face. His silver hair was about chin length and parted in the middle, framing his face. He had emerald coloured eyes and pale skin. A cigarette was sticking out his mouth. This man was scarily intimidating. 

“U-Um… yes?” Tsuna replied, unsure if it was wise to answer. Dino chuckled, approaching her from behind.

“Relax Gokudera. This is Tsuna, Giotto’s little sister. Tsuna, it’s okay to take off the hoodie and glasses now” Dino stated. Tsuna nodded, pushing the hoodie off her head, letting her hair tumble out to fall in its long, wavy locks and the spiky bits at the top stuck out again. Removing the glasses, she blinked, trying to adjust her big brown eyes to the bright lights inside the jet. Gokudera’s scowl dropped along with his jaw upon the revealing of her hair and eyes.

“Gokudera?” Dino asked, raising a brow. Tsuna, who had been handing Romario back his glasses, turned to look at Gokudera curiously. Gokudera suddenly dropped to his knees, bowing his head.

“Tsunayoshi Sawada! I swear to protect you with my life! From now on, I humbly swear myself to your service!” Gokudera suddenly barked, making Tsuna jump back in shock. He’d been glaring at her a second ago, and now he was swearing his life at her feet. Dino chuckled, putting a hand on Tsuna’s shoulder, grinning as he bent down near her.

“She’s pretty cute, isn’t she Gokudera?” Dino teased, making Gokudera stand up, glaring dangerously at him as a light blush coated his cheeks.

“Damn Bronco! Shut up!” Gokudera snapped, making Tsuna jump back, trembling in fear. Gokudera froze immediately, seeing the remains of the tear stains on her face. 

“Boss, have you been crying? That reminds me, where’s Reborn? Wasn’t he supposed to be coming along?” Gokudera asked, seeing Tsuna’s face fall into depression again as she looked down at her hands. Dino’s smirk fell as he kept a hand tightly on Tsuna’s shoulder, comforting the poor girl.

“He… didn’t make it… They had Tsuna and him trapped in the supermarket. He stayed behind to ensure our getaway” Dino explained, feeling Tsuna flinch, her shoulders shaking. Gokudera’s face fell into shock, looking at all three of the people in front of him. Reborn hadn’t made it? Was that why Tsuna had been crying? Tsuna hid her face, looking down as her shoulders continued shaking.

“It should’ve been me… I should’ve been the one to die… not Reborn…” Tsuna whispered under her breath, heading to the chair and sat down, her expression void as she strapped the seat belt over herself. Gokudera watched her worriedly, before sitting down on a nearby chair. Dino and Romario followed suit, along with two men and one woman dressed in black suits. Once everyone was strapped in, the jet began to blast its jets as it began reversing onto the track. Tsuna continued to look down at her hands which were tucked neatly into her lap, her mind travelling back to Reborn. 

Once stable in the air, Gokudera turned to glance at Tsuna, his brows furrowed in worry. The girl was still looking at her hands sadly, her eyes almost void of any expression. Gokudera glanced around, looking at Dino who looked just as worried. Gokudera undid his belt, standing from his chair and walked to Tsuna, kneeling nearby her.

“Boss? You can undo your belt and move around now if you want” Gokudera stated calmly, his brows raised in worry. Tsuna glanced at him, nodding and unbuckled herself. Gokudera stood, offering her his hand. He had several rings on his fingers, all of them rather bulky. Tsuna looked at his hand before looking at him and back to his hand again. Taking his hand, she allowed him to pull her up to her feet. Dino and everyone else undid their belts as well, beginning to walk around the jet. Tsuna let Gokudera drag her to the bar, offering her a seat on the couch.

“Would you like a drink Boss? Maybe water, oh! How about a soda? Any you like?” Gokudera asked, almost resembling a dog wagging its tail. Tsuna looked at him in confusion. Why was he acting like this with her? 

“U-Um… just a lemon soda…” she whispered, however it put a huge smile on Gokudera’s face. He began scrounging through the bar, getting a glass and pouring some lemon soda into it. Rushing to her, he handed her the glass. Tsuna managed a weak smile, taking the glass and holding it in her hands.

“Thank you Gokudera… You can sit if you want…” Tsuna stated, patting the spot next to her. Gokudera sat down quickly, looking at Tsuna.

“Gokudera… Why are you acting like this? Why swear your life to me? You barely know me…” Tsuna asked, seeing Gokudera pause, his eyes widening. His cheeks turned red as he looked at his hands which were in his lap.

“Because… you are Giotto’s little sister… Giotto already has his own guardians, and I’ve been assigned the role of being one of your guardians! I was pissed off at first, thinking it was just going to be some runt or bratty kid I had to protect, but you’re really pretty, and close to my age! I genuinely want to get to know you Boss!” Gokudera explained. During the time he’d been talking, Tsuna had drunk her drink, sighing in content when she finished. 

“My brother has guardians? Why? Who is my brother exactly? No one’s told me yet… Is he like, the president’s son or something?” Tsuna asked, seeing Gokudera’s eyes widen in shock. 

“No one told you Boss? He’s the head of the Vongola family, a mafia family” Gokudera explained, making Tsuna exclaim in shock.

“What!? Mafia!?” she screamed, standing up on her feet, her eyes wide in shock. They were criminals!? Her family was a mafia family!? Tsuna couldn’t believe it. But Gokudera had no reason to lie to her, and in some ways it made sense. That explained all the formal terms Gokudera was giving her and the fact that her life was in danger. 

“Boss?” Gokudera asked, about to stand up and console her when a blaring noise filled the jet. The sound of the engines suddenly stopped and Tsuna felt herself being flung to the side, smacking into the chair as another noise began ringing in the air. The pressure pushing her into the chair was growing stronger as she realised what was going on. The engines had shut down and the plane was going down! 

“Bella! Timon! Jean! What’s going on up there!?” shouted Dino from the back. Suddenly the jet evened out as the engines turned on again. Tsuna felt herself hit the ground suddenly. She pulled herself up, groggily looking around.

“What’s going on?” Tsuna asked, holding her head as she scrambled to her feet. Gokudera had managed to pluck himself off the chair he’d been thrown against, and rushed to her side.

“I don’t know… Oi! Bella! Timon! Jean! What’s going on!?” Gokudera yelled to the front of the plane. Suddenly the woman, Bella, rushed out from the front of the jet.

“Timon’s dead! Someone killed the pilot! We have a traitor on-board!” Bella exclaimed, her face pale as Tsuna’s eyes widened, her expression mimicking Bella’s.


	3. Traitor Subdued

There was a traitor on the plane? Gokudera’s grip on her shoulder tightened, making Tsuna look up at him. Gokudera was a good foot taller than her, so just being near him like this was comforting. He’d been with Tsuna the whole time, same with Dino and Romario, so they couldn’t be the traitor… It had to be one of the goons in black on the plane. Looking around, Tsuna glanced at all of them. Bella was standing in front of her, looking just as shocked as she was. Jean was still nowhere to be seen, but Tsuna assumed he was the one who had taken over flying the plane. There were several other people in black suits as well, but they were all in the back with Romario and Dino. So that meant it had to be Bella, Jean, or Timon was the traitor and killed himself to crash the plane. Tsuna gulped nervously, watching Bella as she straightened herself. 

“A traitor? Tsuna! Get over here! You need to stay in the back of the jet!” Dino exclaimed, making Tsuna turn to look at him. Gokudera put a hand on her shoulder, gently leading her to the back of the jet. Tsuna felt her legs trembling. 

“Boss? You alright?” Gokudera asked, watching her small body begin to shake. Giving her a gentle push, Dino took her shoulders, leading her back further to the back of the jet. Romario stood by her side, watching her as they sat her down. Gokudera sat in the middle, watching both sides for any signs of nervous activity. Tsuna fidgeted in her seat, gulping down the lump in her throat. Her throat felt incredibly dry, despite the fact that she’d just had a glass of soda. 

“Tsuna…” Dino whispered, seeing her body language as she pulled her legs up, hugging her knees to her chest as she buried her face into her knees.

“Reborn… I’m scared…” Tsuna whined quietly, shaking as more tears began to appear in her eyes. Feeling the wet spots begin to fall down her knees, she hugged her knees tighter. Feeling her eyes begin to fall, Tsuna let her consciousness slide as her head rolled to the side, her vision fading.

Tsuna was woken to the gentle shaking of her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she glanced up to see Bella standing in front of her.

“Sorry to wake you Miss Sawada… I was just wondering if you were thirsty” Bella stated, smiling kindly at her. Tsuna lowered her legs, rubbing her eyes as she assessed how she was feeling. 

“I am a little…” Tsuna stated, looking around her to see Dino and Romario were asleep; Gokudera was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he went to the toilet? Standing up, she followed Bella to the bar as she watched her search through the bar, pouring her another drink of lemon soda.

“Here you are. I’m sorry about all this happening… You grew up living life as a normal girl, didn’t you? You shouldn’t be dragged into this mess” Bella apologised, giving her a sympathetic look as Tsuna began drinking from her drink. She smiled gently at Bella.

“I’m okay… Dino, Romario and Gokudera have been incredibly nice to me… and so have you. You’re Bella, right? Please, just call me Tsuna” Tsuna stated, smiling at her brightly. Bella’s eyes widened before she smiled at her. 

“Very well Tsuna. Was the soda okay? Would you like another?” Bella asked, holding the bottle up to pour her another glass. Tsuna smiled, shaking her head as she placed the empty glass on the bar.

“I’m fine, but… I do need to go now… W-Where’s the…?” Tsuna asked, looking around in embarrassment. Bella raised a brow, before her mouth opened slightly in understanding.

“Ah, the loo. Give me a minute, I’ll lead you there” Bella stated, putting the bottle back in the small fridge. Standing beside Tsuna, she began leading the way to the toilet, heading to the back of the jet. Opening the door to the bathroom, she stood and waited in the room with the sinks as Tsuna gratefully ran to one of the cubicles. Bella giggled a little, watching the smaller girl’s behaviour. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask this, but where’s Gokudera? Did he go to the toilet as well or something?” Tsuna asked from inside the cubicle. Bella looked up at the cubicle door, smiling slightly.

“Something like that. He said he’d be a while, told me to watch you” Bella explained. The toilet flushed inside the cubicle and Tsuna exited, rushing to the sink and beginning to wash her hands. Bella watched from where she stood against the wall, seeing Tsuna turn to begin walking to her. 

“Thank you Bella. I feel a lot better now!” Tsuna stated, smiling brightly before a bang caught their attention. Bella and Tsuna snapped their attention to look at the cleaning closet.

“What was that?” Tsuna asked, stepping to it as Bella watched, stepping closer behind her. Wrapping her hands on the handle, Tsuna wrenched the door open, feeling her eyes open wide at what she saw. Gokudera was stuffed inside the room, his arms and legs tied up, a gag around his mouth. His eyes widened at what he saw, trying to yell out something to Tsuna. Tsuna looked horrified, kneeling down to try undo the ropes around Gokudera.

“This is terrible! Who did this to you!?” Tsuna exclaimed, grabbing at one of the knots. 

“That would be me Tsuna” stated a cold female voice. Tsuna froze, feeling her blood freeze as she slowly turned to look at Bella. The warm look in her eyes was gone, her expression as cold as stone. In her hands was a black gun, similar in shape to the one Reborn had been using. She began lifting the gun, about to aim at Tsuna when Tsuna felt something inside of her snap. She’d trusted this lady, and here she was, pointing a gun at her back. An image of Reborn suddenly entered her mind, reminding her of all her training she’d had with him. He’d been a drill sergeant, pushing Tsuna past her limits. 

‘Elbow her in the gut!’ Reborn’s voice blared in her mind, making her eyes narrow as she suddenly darted towards Bella, catching her off guard. Bella’s eyes widened, her grip on the trigger tightening as Tsuna folded her arm, pointing her elbow directly at Bella’s gut. Upon impact, Bella doubled over, letting out a wheeze. 

‘Now an uppercut! Get her going backwards!’ Reborn’s voice instructed. Tsuna wasted no time, following the voice in her head as she shot up, holding her hand out, her hand folded back so the bottom of her palm and wrist connected with Bella’s chin. In a flash, Bella was falling backwards, gun still tightly held in her hand.

‘Get the gun away, now!’ Reborn instructed again. Tsuna darted forward, grabbing Bella’s shoulders as she flung her legs forward, stomping on Bella’s wrist. Bella let out a scream as the gun slipped out her hand and her fingers fell limp. Tsuna quickly jumped to the gun, grabbing it in her hands as she turned, pointing it at Bella. Bella remained on the ground, frozen in shock at what had just happened. Gokudera was watching in shock, his eyes almost sparkling. Bella rolled onto her side, clutching her gut tightly in her hands. She looked up, smirking weakly at Tsuna.

“You’ll never survive in our world… You got lucky this time… In a week’s time, you’ll be wishing I’d killed you here” Bella taunted, a trail of sweat rolling down her cheek. Tsuna let out a shaky sigh, walking to Gokudera and began untying the ropes around him. Gokudera let out a sigh of relief when he was unbound, bowing his head to Tsuna.

“You truly are Giotto’s little sister! I swear to follow you to the ends of the earth!” Gokudera swore, tears in his eyes from his admiration. Before Tsuna could respond though, he shot his head up, grabbing the ropes and tied Bella up tightly. Tsuna blinked in shock, seeing Bella looking just as shocked. Sudden banging on the door caught their attention as the door burst open to reveal a panicked Dino and Romario.

“Tsuna! You’re alright! Thank god!” Dino exclaimed, running to Tsuna and grabbing her shoulders tightly. Tsuna blinked at him in shock, startled. Romario stood behind him, adjusting his glasses and tie around his neck.

“She caught us off guard, knocked us out without any trouble… Did Gokudera subdue her?” Romario explained as Dino was too busy bawling his eyes out. Gokudera bowed his head to them, looking like he was almost about to topple over.

“I’m so sorry! I was powerless to save the Boss! Boss was so awesome though! She kicked and punched and got the gun away from Bella! It was amazing to watch!” Gokudera explained, standing back up straight and locked his hands together, tears filling his eyes in admiration. Dino and Romario both gasped in shock, turning to look at Tsuna. Tsuna felt her cheeks turn red as she rubbed the back of her head nervously, giggling bashfully. Dino smirked, recovering first.

“Well, you were ‘his’ student, after all. I shouldn’t be surprised that you know how to look after yourself” Dino stated, chuckling as Tsuna’s cheeks burned furiously. 

“She just got lucky! She won’t survive a week in our world!” Bella snapped, earning a glare from Dino, Romario and Gokudera. Tsuna’s eyes widened, looking at Bella questioningly. Why did she hate her so badly? What had Tsuna done? Bella merely glared at Tsuna with spite, making Tsuna flinch, backing away slightly. Romario stepped between Tsuna and Bella, giving her a sharp glare.

“I’d keep my mouth shut if I were you Bella. The more you harass Tsuna, the more likely you are to not survive till next sunrise” Romario warned. Tsuna gasped, looking up at Romario in shock.

“What do you mean!? You’re not going to kill her, are you!? That’s insane! She may have tried to kill me, but that doesn’t mean she should die!” Tsuna exclaimed, grabbing his sleeve tightly in her hands.

“Boss…” Gokudera mumbled, looking at her with a shocked expression. Dino blinked in shock, before a smile formed on his face. 

“Maybe you’re just what the Vongola family needs… Hopefully you can change them for the better…” Dino mumbled, closing his eyes in a smile before he walked to Tsuna, putting a hand on her head. She looked up at him in confusion.

“Dino?” she questioned, tilting her head a little, her desperation still evident on her face. Dino smiled gently in return.

“Very well, we won’t kill her… She’ll remain imprisoned and under constant watch...” Dino stated, seeing the smile of relief appear on Tsuna’s face. Dino couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Never lose that innocence Tsuna…” Dino declared, smiling as he turned, walking out the bathroom. Romario adjusted his glasses, a smile on his face as well.

“I’ll watch her… You two go sit down and relax” Romario stated, nodding his head to Tsuna and Gokudera. Tsuna felt Gokudera put a hand on her shoulder, leading her out the room as she turned and glanced at Bella. She was still glaring quietly, but it was less spiteful than before. 

Finally exiting the bathroom, Tsuna glanced at Gokudera, seeing him smiling softly at her. She couldn’t help but smile back.


	4. Gold Eyes

“Tsuna, it’s time for us to land in Italy…” stated Dino as he gently shook her shoulder, waking her from her slumber. Tsuna stirred, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she looked around. The jet had made its stops in the other countries and was now about to land in Italy. This was it, she was about to meet her big brother Giotto and join the Vongola family where she belonged. She was incredibly nervous now. Was this brother of hers large and scary, like all the mafia villains she saw in movies? Did he work out and have abs of steel? Maybe he was even scarier than Reborn. Nah, no one could be scarier than him… could they? Dino had assured her that Giotto was a very nice man, claiming they looked similar, but that meant nothing. Did he have her big eyes? Maybe their hair was equally as uncontrollable as the others? Maybe they had the same face shape? Any one of those things could make them look similar, and yet look totally different from each other. Looking out the window, seeing the lights of the runway approaching, Tsuna tried to calm down the somersaults her stomach was doing. Sighing shakily, she held her hands together, seeing it was close to midday in Italy. She’d only lost half a day in the span of a day’s time. 

“Looking forward to seeing Vongola Castle?” Dino asked, making Tsuna’s eyes widen as she turned to look at him in shock.

“C-Castle? We have a castle?!” Tsuna exclaimed, sweat falling down the side of her face. Dino chuckled, smiling.

“It pretty much is a castle, only with the highest ranking security and guards. It’s practically impenetrable” Dino explained, making Tsuna giggle nervously. She was going to live in a castle? How jealous would all her classmates be if they heard she was moving to live in a castle? They’d want to kill her. 

“Vongola Castle is amazing! You’ll love it Boss!” Gokudera exclaimed from his seat, his eyes glowing and sparkling again. Tsuna giggled exasperatedly, turning to look out the window again. The feeling of the jet landing its wheels on the ground made everyone jump in their seats before feeling the jet slow to a stop, pulling into the airport. Unbuckling her belt, Tsuna stood on wobbly legs, feeling Dino hold her steady by her arm. Smiling gratefully at him, she began walking through the corridor, about to exit when Dino caught her arm again. Turning to look at him, he smiled, pointing at his hair and eyes. Tsuna quickly pulled the hoodie over her head again, tucking her hair into it and put on Romario’s glasses again. Dino put a hand on her head again, beginning to lead her out the corridor and out the terminal. Stepping out, they grabbed their luggage and began walking to the exit when a group of people in black suits stood in front of them. Tsuna flinched, backing behind Dino before she noticed Dino was laughing.

“Don’t worry Tsuna; these people will be your new friends here in Italy. They’re the remainder of your guardians. Introduce yourselves guys” Dino reassured her, seeing the small smile form on her face as she poked out from behind Dino again. The first to approach was a tall male about Gokudera’s age, maybe a little taller. He had tan coloured skin and what looked like a baseball haircut of black hair with brown eyes. He had a casual, friendly look on his face. 

“Hi Tsuna! I’m Takeshi Yamamoto. You can just call me Yamamoto though; I’m good buddies with Gokudera here. We’ll be going to the same high school and be in the same class!” he stated, grinning at her. Tsuna smiled shyly, nodding her head to him.

“Pleasure to meet you Yamamoto” she greeted, bowing politely. Yamamoto just grinned, putting a hand on her head gently.

“Don’t worry, Gokudera and I’ll take good care of you” he reassured her with a grin. Seeing that someone behind him wanted to introduce themselves, Yamamoto stepped back, letting a man with silver hair approach. His hair was so short it looked like it’d just started growing back from being shaved off. He also had a bandage across his nose.

“Extreme! Tsuna! I’m Sasawaga Ryohei! Just call me Big Brother!” he suddenly yelled, making her jump back in fright, holding her hands up defensively. 

“Ryohei, doing that might anger someone. She already has a big brother, remember?” Dino reminded him, making Ryohei freeze, scratching his chin in thought. 

“Oh yeah… She’s Giotto’s little sister… Sorry Tsuna, looks like Ryohei will have to do. I’m just used to it because I have a little sister your age” Ryohei apologised, flashing a grin. Giggling, Tsuna smiled back, nodding her head in understanding.

“It’s alright… It’ll take some getting used to, suddenly having a big brother” Tsuna replied, flashing a warm smile at him. The next person to introduce themselves suddenly ran to Tsuna, jumping on her leg and laughing madly. Tsuna looked down to see a small little cow baby attached to her leg, laughing wickedly.

“Lambo caught Tsuna! Yay!” he announced, making a smile form on Tsuna’s face as she bent down, picking up the small cow baby and held him in her hands. Lambo tilted his head, looking at her curiously.

“Tsuna wears glasses?” he asked, before grinning and reaching up, snatching the glasses off her face. Tsuna blinked, adjusting the light. Lambo began laughing again, putting the glasses on his head. Tsuna smiled, watching him before turning to look at Dino.

“He’s one of my guardians? He’s a child… Like, really young…” Tsuna questioned, before raising a brow in suspicion at the knowing smirk on Dino’s face. What did he know that she didn’t? Sighing, she saw the next person approach. This was a very tall man, about a year older than her, maybe two. He had blue hair that was styled to look almost like a pineapple. What was even more mysterious about him was the fact that he had one blue eye; the other was a deep blood red. Tsuna blinked, staring at his eyes. She almost seemed to get lost in them. She could swear the red eye almost had some kind of kanji written on it. He stepped towards her, smirking before bowing down to her on one knee. This snapped Tsuna out of her trance as she raised her hands, panicking.

“Kufufu. Pleasure to meet you Tsunayoshi Sawada, or should I say, Tsunayoshi Vongola. I am Rokudo Mukuro. Please, call me Mukuro” he stated, looking up with a sly smirk on his face. Lambo had jumped out of her arms and was now sitting on her shoulder. Seeing her flailing her hands around in a panic, Mukuro snatched one of them, lowering it before planting a kiss on the back of her hand. Tsuna froze instantly, feeling her face heat up like a beacon. She almost couldn’t hear anything around her as the others gasped, reacting to the sudden kiss as well, as she was too busy having a mental breakdown in her head. 

“Tsuna’s got a boyfriend!” Lambo yelled from Tsuna’s shoulder, making everyone else begin to react again. Mukuro stood up, smirking slyly again as he watched the scene with amusement. One more person at the back of the group hadn’t introduced themselves yet, so upon seeing the commotion he stomped forward, glaring dangerously. Tsuna yelped, jumping back as the glaring man approached. He stopped in front of Tsuna, glaring down at her. Tsuna felt her shoulders shaking as Lambo began to panic on her shoulder as well. 

“Hibari Kyoya…” he stated quietly, still glaring as he turned, stomping away. Tsuna blinked in shock, watching him walk away. What stick was up his ass? Better not say that out loud though, she might end up dead. 

“Sorry about Kyoya, he doesn’t like crowds… We should hurry and head to Vongola Castle” Dino apologised, smiling as he grabbed Tsuna’s shoulder, beginning to lead them out the airport. 

“We’ll have to take two cars… Gokudera, Boss, Hibari, Tsuna and I will go in this car, the rest of you go in that car” Romario stated upon their arrival in the airport. Ryohei clenched his fists tightly.

“No fair! Why does Hibari get to go with Tsuna? And why Gokudera?” he asked, or rather shouted. Tsuna looked at Romario questioningly. That was a good question. Why those two with her at the back? Romario merely smiled at her.

“That’s just how it is… Tsuna’s still very uncomfortable in this situation, and Gokudera is one of the closest people to her at the moment. Hibari will end up murdering you all if he travels with Mukuro, so that’s why he’s going with us” Romario explained, earning horrified looks from everyone except Mukuro as they all looked at Hibari, who merely turned to glare at them in return. Mukuro smirked, chuckling to himself. Stepping closer, he flung an arm over Hibari’s shoulder. Everyone let out a horrified shriek, thinking they were about to witness a murder. 

“Kyoya, you really hate me that much?” Mukuro asked sarcastically, feigning hurt. Hibari’s expression could commit murder all on its own. Before Mukuro had a chance to continue talking, Hibari had raised a tonfa out of nowhere and had the end pointed at Mukuro’s throat.

“Touch me one more time and I will bite you to death…” Hibari threatened, glaring sternly at Mukuro as he quickly retracted his arm, holding his hands up defensively. But he was still smirking slyly, earning an annoyed twitch from Hibari.

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say Kyoya” Mukuro stated tauntingly, earning a growl from Hibari now. Tsuna jumped upon the expression Hibari was giving Mukuro, retreating back closer to Gokudera who was nearest to her. 

“I never gave you permission to call me by my first name… And I’d rather you never spoke to me, but if you call me by my first name again, you’re dead” Hibari threatened, earning another chuckle from Mukuro. Mukuro waved his hand, retreating to the car instead of adding more fuel to the fire. Tsuna sighed in relief, not having realised she was a shaking mess and was clinging to the sleeve of Gokudera’s jacket tightly. Gokudera flashed a reassuring smile, heading to the car. Tsuna found herself wedged between Gokudera and Hibari in the back. The tension was high in the air. Or at least Tsuna felt herself being tense, especially being stuck right next to Hibari. She’d shuffled as close to Gokudera as possible, not wanting to risk touching Hibari and incurring his wrath. Gokudera absolutely loved the attention, keeping an arm over her shoulders protectively as she leaned against him. Hibari turned to glance at her, resting his chin on his hand as he had been looking out the window previously. 

“Hey” Hibari stated, making Tsuna jump as she looked at him, slightly terrified.

“Y-Yes?” she asked, shaking like a leaf as he just stared at her. Her hoodie had been pulled off her head, allowing her hair to flow freely. Tsuna could see him looking at her face, before his gaze trailed down. Tsuna suddenly felt very self-conscious, blushing furiously. J-Just where was he looking!?

“Hey! Stop eyeing up the Boss!” Gokudera shouted, making Tsuna jump back in shock from his outburst, bumping into Hibari. Tsuna felt her blood freeze, turning slowly to look up at Hibari. His expression hadn’t changed. He wasn’t glaring, but he wasn’t happy either. Did that mean he was okay with her sitting normally between them? Shifting so she was sitting normally, she glanced up at Hibari who was still looking down at her with a placid expression.

“Are you strong?” he asked, making Tsuna suddenly very confused. What did he define as strong?

“U-Um… I was taught martial arts by Reborn for several years… but I wouldn’t know if I’m strong” she replied, seeing Hibari seem to be satisfied with that answer and resuming looking out the window. Sighing shakily, she looked to her left to see Gokudera smiling at her reassuringly.

It seemed to take forever, but eventually the cars pulled up and the all exited one by one. Vongola Castle looked more like a giant mansion crossed with a castle. Tsuna rubbed her eyes after being blinded by the sun, looking up at the building it awe. It was amazingly big. Gokudera and Hibari stood by her side, watching all the goons in black that arrived, saluting. 

“A-Ah…!” Tsuna stammered, unsure how to react to the sudden treatment. 

“Come on Tsuna. Giotto’s waiting for your arrival” Dino stated, stepping ahead of her as he led her into the building. Gokudera remained at her left protectively while Hibari walked to her right. Tsuna was unsure if he was trying to protect her from everyone that might wish her harm, or if he was just trying to protect her from Mukuro. Giggling nervously at the silent glaring exchange Mukuro and Hibari were giving each other; Tsuna looked around at the decorations around the hallways. Tsuna was so mesmerised in the paintings on the walls that she didn’t even realise Dino had stopped. Bumping into him, she winced, stepping back and rubbing her nose.

“Sorry Dino… My bad…” Tsuna apologised, smiling at him as he gave her a reassuring smile in return. Dino stood at a door, and then began knocking.

“Come in” called a soft voice from inside. It sounded almost like bell chimes, it was that soft. Tsuna saw Dino open the door and step in. She looked between Gokudera and Hibari, unsure what to do.

“Hey Giotto. I brought you what you asked for” Dino greeted, grinning like an idiot. Tsuna saw him turn to her and wave her forward. Stepping forward nervously, she walked to Dino and stepped out from around him. Her eyes widened upon who she saw sitting at the desk. He looked almost identical to her in face shape and the top of their hair. The only differences between them were his eyes which were gold and narrow and his hair, which was bright blonde. He looked just as shocked to see her, rising to his feet before a smile formed on his face. It was a cross between joy and longing. Tsuna remained frozen in shock, flashes of images appearing in her mind suddenly upon seeing the blonde man. He stepped out from around the table, approaching her. Stopping in front of her, he smiled gently at her.

“Tsunayoshi… It is you… How I’ve longed to see you again Little Sister…” Giotto stated, seeing the look upon her face. Her eyes began to soften, no longer entirely stunned.

“I… remember you… And this place… Not very well… But I recall playing with you here as a little girl…” Tsuna said, seeing Giotto’s smile increase. So this was her brother, this kind, gentle man who could be on a fashion magazine. Maybe life here wouldn’t be so bad after all.


	5. Childhood Memories and Nightmares

“I… Know you…” Tsuna whispered, looking up at the man now known as Giotto. Giotto smiled, walking to her and holding out a hand to her. Tsuna looked from his eyes to look at his outstretched hand, slowly lifting her own hand and putting it in his. Giotto wrapped his fingers around hers, noting the difference in their hand sizes. 

“I am Giotto Vongola, your older brother… You’re correct Tsunayoshi, we did play here as children. You were still very small back then, I’m honestly surprised you remember” Giotto stated, shooing everyone out the room with his spare hand. Dino grinned, grabbing Gokudera and Hibari’s shoulder, gently leading them out as he shut the door behind him. Tsuna glanced up at Giotto, her curiosity high. He was so gentle with his every movement, even the way his lips moved as he spoke was gentle and graceful, almost the exact opposite of Tsuna. Tsuna was incredibly clumsy and couldn’t do anything right unless she was in danger. Giotto gently began leading her to the two chairs he had in his office, both facing each other by the fireplace. It was a little chilly, so the fireplace had been lit. Tsuna smiled, watching the warm lights dance around each other. Sitting down on one of the chairs, Giotto sat on the other.

“Do you remember anything about me? Or our parents?” Giotto asked, seeing Tsuna shake her head sadly.

“Not really… I remember running around the halls, chasing after you… And I remember playing out in the big back yard in the small inflatable pool with you. Wait! I… I remember two people standing on the veranda watching us… A woman and a man… I… can’t make their faces though…” Tsuna stated sadly, furrowing her eyebrows in irritation as she tried to remember. They were a black blur though. Giotto merely smiled, leaning forward to her and taking her hands in his, giving them a gentle squeeze.

“Give it time… More memories may return to you upon being here longer. Our parents died when you were just three, so it wouldn’t surprise me if you didn’t remember much more, or their appearance. When they died, I was suddenly the head of the Vongola family at 13… it was a big task, and I had you to look after too. I then received a warning that you were in danger, so Nana and Iemitsu Sawada, who work under me, came and offered to raise you in Japan secretly, away from all this stuff. I honestly thought it was the best thing for you. I didn’t want to let you go, but I couldn’t see another way” Giotto explained, his eyes trembling as he explained what had happened. Tsuna glanced up at his face, watching as he displayed grief and remorse. There was no way Tsuna could even try and hate this man for having sent her away. 

After hearing his explanation, she felt incredibly sorry for him. He had to inherit this mafia family at age 13? No child should have to do such a thing, especially when they have younger siblings. And to have to give up that sibling to save them from suffering as well, it was incredibly selfless. Tsuna stood up from the seat, walking to Giotto and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Giotto froze, blinking in shock before he wrapped his arms around her in return, pulling her close for a tight hug. 

“I didn’t want to give you up… You were my cute baby sister… I had to watch you grow up from a distance… Nana and Iemitsu sent me videos of your development and I got to watch you, but it just wasn’t the same. Now I get to actually hold you in my arms like this, right in front of me. We can finally catch up on everything we’ve missed” Giotto whispered, his shoulders shaking. Tsuna felt her expression soften as she lifted her hands, running them gently through his hair comfortingly. This man was just as damaged as she was. Sure, he tried to hold up and be strong, but in some ways they were incredibly similar. They were both emotional people who took things to heart. Giotto sighed shakily, having recovered himself a little. Pulling away, he smiled up at Tsuna who had ended up sitting on his knee to make it easier to hug him.

“Sorry… I must look really lame in your eyes… Your big brother nearly bawling his eyes out upon meeting his little sister after 13 years…” Giotto apologised, chuckling to himself. Tsuna shook her head in response, a small smile on her face.

“No, I’m glad you’re being yourself. I don’t want some cool, strong big brother… I just want a brother who cares about me, and you’ve done more than that…” Tsuna replied, seeing Giotto’s eyes widen, before smiling gently. Tsuna raised a hand and placed it on Giotto’s cheek, beaming a warm smile at him. Giotto lifted his hand up, placing it over Tsuna’s.

“You know you did this as a kid? You would put your hand on my cheek, smile just like that and say ‘I love you Big Brother!’ with the biggest grin on your face” Giotto explained. Tsuna felt her cheeks burn, but she didn’t mind. She had no doubt in her mind, this man was her big brother, and she remembered bits and pieces of him so clearly. It was as if they’d just had a long vacation away from each other and had just been reunited. Giotto lowered her hand from his cheek, holding it on the arm of the chair before letting her go.

“Well, I guess I should give you the grand tour of the castle! I doubt you’d remember where your room is, would you?” Giotto stated, feeling Tsuna jump off his knee as he stood. While standing, Tsuna noticed he was a good foot and a half taller than her. Everyone in this damn castle was taller than her, was she going to remain a shorty for the rest of her life? Giotto walked to the door, opening it as Tsuna jogged to catch up to him, grabbing the sleeve of his suit and holding it tightly. Giotto turned to look at her, smiling gently at seeing her looking down shyly, her cheeks red in embarrassment. Stepping into the hallway, they began walking down the hall. Tsuna looked up, looking at the walls in amazement. How could such a beautiful building exist? All the paintings were amazing. 

“I heard about what happened…” Giotto suddenly said as they both stopped walking. Tsuna froze upon the words, looking up at Giotto, her eyes wide. Why bring this up now? She was trying so hard to stay strong. Reborn was filling her every spare thought, and now he was the topic of conversation again? Giotto was looking down at her sympathetically. Lifting his hand, he gently patted her head comfortingly, a sad smile on his face.

“I knew how much Reborn meant to you… We all miss him… Dino sent word in advance, all the guardians know… They were deeply upset by it, and we understand if you’re sad… You don’t have to hold out for our sakes…” Giotto stated, seeing Tsuna’s eyes shimmer with tears. He really didn’t like seeing his little sister crying, but he knew she needed to. He remembered all the videos Nana and Iemitsu had sent him. One was when Tsuna had been trying to ride a bike with training wheels. She’d somehow fallen off and scraped her knee. She was bawling her eyes out and calling out for ‘Mama’ and ‘Papa’. It was meant to be sent as a funny video, but it’d broken Giotto’s heart to see her crying and calling out for someone. 

“I miss him… But I have to stay strong… otherwise Reborn will never be able to rest…” Tsuna whimpered, the tears beginning to fall from her cheeks as she raised her hands, trying to wipe the tears away. New tears replaced them just as quickly. Hiccups and sniffs came from her as she grit her teeth, trying desperately to stop the tears. Giotto smiled gently, watching her trying so hard to stay strong. He ruffled her hair in his hand, his expression still sympathetic.

“You don’t need to be strong in front of me Tsunayoshi” he stated. Something inside Tsuna snapped as her eyes widened. In a matter of seconds, the tears were pouring out like a waterfall. She let out a wail, her eyes clenched tightly together as she fell to her knees, wiping at the tears with the back of her hands. She sobbed and wailed loudly, her shoulders shaking as she whimpered in-between her sobs. Giotto kneeled down, watching her break down. He could feel the stares of people in the hallways, but he didn’t care. Right now, his little sister was letting all her sorrow and pain out. All the pain she’d stored away for so long. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he pulled her into a tight embrace. Now it was his turn to hug her, comfort her, be the big brother he should’ve been all those years ago. She clung to his vest, holding it tightly as she sobbed into his shirt and tie. 

“Tsunayoshi… It’ll be okay…” Giotto whispered, holding her head gently in his hands, running his fingers through her hair comfortingly. Tsuna sniffed, whimpering into his chest as she felt the familiar movements her brother was doing to her hair. He’d done that when she was a child, and Nana had continued it when she took Tsuna and raised her. Was that Giotto’s request? The fingers felt so warm, so comforting, that Tsuna felt her eyes growing heavy. Surely it was okay to sleep now? Slowly, her breathing began to even out as her eyes closed. Giotto blinked, realising a little too late as he looked down, seeing Tsuna asleep against his chest. A small smile formed on his face as he moved his hands from around her, putting one arm under her legs as he put the other behind her back, lifting her up into his arms. She still had a tight grip on his vest, making him chuckle. She had a strong grip that was for sure. 

Walking to the room that would be Tsuna’s, he somehow managed to open the door and stepped inside. Walking to the large bed, he sat Tsuna down on the chair, managing to pry her hands off him. Lifting the sheets back as far as he could, he turned around and picked Tsuna up, sitting her on the bed. Laying her back in his arms, he grabbed the zipper to her jacket, unzipping it and pulling it off her arms. Letting it fall to the ground beside him, he gently laid her back on the bed. He grabbed her sneakers one by one, tossing them to the ground as well. Folding her legs under the sheets, he brought them up to her chin, tucking her in. Leaning down, he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Now to pick up and organise her clothing. Giotto picked up her jacket, folding it up and putting it on the chair. He then picked up her sneakers, putting them neatly in front of the chair. Last task was to pull the curtains and make the room dark. Having done that, he walked to the door, smiling at her one last time before closing the door. He was so glad to have Tsuna back home where she belonged. He’d dreamt of this day, but he never imagined it would happen in such a way though. Sighing loudly, he lent against the door. 

“Tired already?” asked a male voice. Giotto turned, seeing a male his age with Gokudera’s hairstyle and eyes, only blood red in colour, approaching him. He had a red tattoo across the right side of his face as well. 

“Hardly G. I’m so overjoyed to have Tsunayoshi here, back home… I just wish it were under different circumstances. She’s emotionally broken from having to come home in such a horrible and rushed way. And we don’t even know who our enemy is… But I can guarantee one thing; G. whoever dares to threaten Tsunayoshi’s life will receive death from my fists…” Giotto stated, his voice becoming dark as he glared down at the ground, his hands clenched into fists. G merely smiled, walking to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“Kid sure is lucky to have a big brother like you. Most mafia folk don’t care about their siblings. She’s lucky she was born into family Vongola” G stated, trying to change the subject. Giotto seemed to calm down, looking up at G with a small smile. 

“Thanks G… I almost lost myself there…” Giotto thanked, having realised what G had been doing. G grinned back, leading him back to his office. Upon entering the office, Giotto walked to his chair and collapsed into it with a ‘thud’. He sighed loudly, picking up a piece of his paperwork, looking at it. G sat on a chair by the fireplace, watching the flames dance around.

“You know G, she remembers this place. She remembered me, from all those years ago… She can just barely recall Mother and Father, but thankfully she doesn’t remember the incident” Giotto stated, earning G’s attention. G’s eyes widened as he looked at Giotto in shock.

“You don’t mean… the Cataclysm Incident, do you?” G asked, his voice shaking. Giotto folded his hands together, resting his elbows on the table as he put his chin on his hands. 

“Yes, that incident…” Giotto stated, his voice hollow as his eyes began to grow void of emotion. 

“That’s the incident that killed the previous Vongola… Why would she remember it? Unless…! Was she there when it happened!?” G exclaimed, the realisation hitting him. Giotto nodded, sighing sadly. 

“We were both there… I was further away from Mother and Father when it happened… But Tsunayoshi was right next to Mother, clinging to her dress. Mother shielded Tsuna with her body, but Tsuna was so young she couldn’t understand what had happened… Why Mother had stopped moving, nor what the red stuff all over her hands was” Giotto explained, G gasping loudly. G growled under his breath, punching the arm of the chair. 

“A little girl that small shouldn’t have to witness such a thing! I swear, I will find the bastards who did that one day and I will end them!” G swore, looking up at Giotto with a determined expression. Giotto smiled kindly back at him, but his eyes were still cold. Thinking of the incident always put him in this mood. Witnessing his parents’ murder would do that to anyone after all. He was thankful for G’s support, for the support everyone gave him. Without his guardians, Giotto would’ve been lost for sure. 

_Tsuna felt heavy. It was like she was being weighed down by something. She almost couldn’t breathe. She struggled against the feeling, moving her arms around. Her vision was black. Why was it black? Suddenly light flooded her vision, blinding her for a second as she was able to breathe again. She inhaled deep breaths, trying to process what was happening, where she was. Looking around, she saw the inside of Vongola Castle, but a room that looked unfamiliar, and yet she knew she’d been there before. There were goons in black, all standing around, frozen in horror. What had startled them all so much? Looking down, she saw she was being covered by something. It was warm, a mixture of brown and dark blue. It took her a few seconds later to realise it was a person. Gasping, she managed to struggle out of the death grip the person had over her. The person remained still on the ground. From what Tsuna could tell, it was a woman. She had really long, wavy brown hair, the same colour as Tsuna’s. She was wearing a really beautiful dark blue dress as well. Tsuna looked around again, seeing a man on the ground nearby. He was wearing a white suit with a grey stripped shirt. His hair was styled exactly like Giotto’s, the same shade of blonde as his as well._

_“Mother! Father!” yelled a voice making Tsuna turn and gasp, seeing a young Giotto from her memories staring at them all in horror. He was wearing a white suit similar to the blonde man’s. Why was he so startled? Were these people their parents? Tsuna turned back to the woman who had been holding her, putting her hands on her shoulder, giving her a gentle shake._

_“Wake up” Tsuna mumbled, trying to get the woman to respond. Tsuna looked around again, wondering why none of the people were rushing to help. Gasping in realisation, she grabbed the woman’s shoulder again, turning her onto her back. She gasped again, frozen to the spot at all the blood that stained the woman’s dress. Blood was beginning to stain the floor as well. What was going on!? Tsuna suddenly looked down at her hands, gasping again when she realised her hands were tiny, like a child’s, and covered red in blood._

Bolting up out of bed with a gasp, Tsuna panted heavily. Her fingers clutched the sheets tightly, her face and body covered in sweat. Lifting a hand, she clenched the hair of her fringe tightly. Her body was shaking violently and she felt sick, but she didn’t dare look at her hands. What if she saw the blood again? Just what had that been anyway? A figment of her imagination, or a memory?


	6. Barrel of a Gun

Knocking on the door alerted Giotto as he looked up from his desk.

“Come in” he stated, seeing the door open as a man walked up towards him. His hair was styled like a pineapple, a dark blue in colour. He looked very similar to Mukuro in appearance. 

“Daemon, what did you manage to find?” Giotto asked, seeing him walk up to the table. Daemon had a sad look on his face. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a black and orange fedora. Giotto’s eyes widened upon seeing it, a gasp escaping him.

“This was all we found… We couldn’t find a body…” Daemon stated, handing the fedora over to Giotto. Giotto took the fedora into his hands, turning it over left and right before just holding it in his hands. He smiled sadly, looking at the hat.

“Tsunayoshi will be sad if she saw this… Please, put this in Reborn’s room so she can’t see it” Giotto replied, handing the hat back to Daemon. Daemon frowned, eyeing Giotto off suspiciously.

“You baby her too much Giotto. She is 16; it is time she learns about the world. She needs to know of this…” Daemon warned, trailing off as Giotto looked up at him with a harsh glare. Daemon froze for a second, smirking to himself.

“Very well, but do not blame me if this explodes in your face… Trust is a 2 way street Giotto…” Daemon warned, taking the fedora and walking to the door. He opened it, turning back to look at Giotto.

“You have to be honest with Tsunayoshi in order to receive the truth back from her, only then can you begin to build a bond. Just remember that Giotto” Daemon stated, smirking as he left the room. Closing the door, Daemon sighed to himself. This girl was going to distract Giotto a lot, he could tell. All this effort just to protect a little girl, why bother? Why did she need guardians or need to return to the mafia life anyway? She would’ve been happier to remain a normal person. What on earth was Giotto thinking anyway, bringing her here? Sighing again, he began walking down the hallway when he heard a panicked gasp from inside one of the bedrooms. Wasn’t this… Tsunayoshi’s room? What had startled the girl? Curiosity getting the better of Daemon, he opened the door, peeking his head into the room.

“Tsunayoshi?” he questioned, seeing her sitting up in her bed, clawing at her fringe as she panted heavily. Now Daemon was really curious. He walked into the room, making sure to shut the door behind him, and walked closer to her. Tsuna was covered in sweat on her face and her skin was pale. 

“Tsunayoshi?” he asked again, seeing her realise he was there, gasping as she jumped back. She looked up at him, panic on her face.

“W-Who are you!?” she exclaimed, her eyes wide in fright. Daemon couldn’t help but smirk before bowing to her.

“Greetings, I am Daemon Spade. I’m one of Giotto’s guardians. I was walking through the hallway when I heard you wake up. I just thought I’d check up on you” he replied, seeing her relax upon saying he was one of Giotto’s guardians. Silly girl was too quick to lower her guard. Daemon smirked to himself. She’d grown a lot from the photos Giotto had in his room. She was still a little young, but she had matured into a lovely young woman. 

“You’re one of Giotto’s guardians? Thank god… I thought maybe this person who wants me dead had snuck in…” Tsuna replied, laughing to herself a little. Some colour had returned to her skin, showing she’d calmed down. Daemon couldn’t help but chuckle a little. She was so innocent and naïve, she would get herself killed in this world if he didn’t give her a wakeup call. 

“What if I was though? What would you be able to do?” he asked, seeing her eyes shoot open, looking at him in disbelief. Before she had time to react, he snatched both her wrists in his hand, pinning them to the bed above her head, his other hand clamped over her mouth. Tsuna blinked in shock, trying to fight against him but he’d sat on her legs and waist, pinning her down completely. He smirked in amusement as he watched the blood drain from her face.

“See? You couldn’t do a single thing to protect yourself, and I even gave you a warning beforehand. Your enemy wouldn’t do that” Daemon taunted, but froze when he saw Tsuna’s eyes relaxing. What had caused her to relax? Pulling away, he looked at her confused. Slowly, he took his hand off her mouth, seeing she wasn’t scared anymore.

“You won’t do it though… I know, this was a test… I don’t know how I know, I just do… You’re worried about me and want to make sure I don’t get hurt… If you have to play the bad guy to do it, so be it” Tsuna stated, shocking Daemon to the core. How had she seen right through to his heart? Could her ability be kicking in already? All Vongola generations gained a special ability called Hyper Intuition; Giotto had developed his at this age too. Was this Tsuna’s Hyper Intuition? Seeing there was no point in scaring her anymore, he gently let her go, pulling away and standing up. Tsuna shifted herself so she was sitting up, blinking curiously as he walked to the door.

“Well, I’d best go before your brother finds out and tries to kill me. Farewell Tsunayoshi” Daemon stated, bowing again as he turned and left. What he didn’t realise though was that the fedora had fallen from his coat, landing in the middle of the floor in Tsuna’s room. Tsuna looked around, studying the room she was in before her eyes widened, focusing on the fedora. She slowly pulled the covers off her, standing on her feet and walking to the fedora. She knew this hat, it was Reborn’s. Kneeling down, she lifted the fedora into her hands. Tears began welling in her eyes again, blurring her vision as her eyes stung. Sniffing, she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. She couldn’t stop the flood. At this rate she was going to end up dehydrated from all this crying, but she couldn’t stop it. Trembling, she let out a soft sob. Hugging the fedora to her chest, she began sobbing loudly and hunched over. Her grip on the fedora was tight; she’d rather die than give it up. She didn’t even hear the door open as a familiar face poked their head in. 

Giotto gave her a sad look, seeing her hunched over and crying in the middle of the floor in her room. Stepping in, he walked slowly to her. 

“Tsunayoshi…” he whispered, seeing her look up at him. Her eyes were welled up with tears and her cheeks were wet, but what his eyes locked on next made him gasp. He spotted the fedora in her hands, his eyes narrowing in a frown.

“That fedora… Who told you?” he asked his voice hollow. Tsuna blinked, raising a brow. What caused his sudden behaviour change? She watched him kneel down, holding out a hand. What was he trying to do?

“I-I met a man named Daemon Spade… but he didn’t tell me, or show me… When he left, I found this on the floor…” Tsuna replied, hearing Giotto curse under his breath. This sudden change was weird and it was starting to scare Tsuna. 

“Give me the fedora… I’ll put it away so it’ll never make you cry again… You weren’t supposed to see it to begin with…” Giotto stated, reaching his hand out to her again. So that was what he was after, the fedora. Tsuna clutched it tightly, moving it further away from him. Giotto frowned at this, all traces of a smile disappearing. Tsuna suddenly realised what he’d said, her eyes widening.

“Y-You weren’t planning on telling me?” Tsuna questioned, seeing Giotto sigh to himself.

“Just give me the fedora… In a week, this will all be behind you. If you keep it though, it may take months to get over it…” Giotto stated his voice cold and flat. Tsuna’s eyes widened. 

“No” she replied, her voice trembling as she moved back, inching away from Giotto. Giotto just began to look angrier and angrier with every second. 

“Tsunayoshi!” he shouted, making her flinch. Her grip on the fedora only tightened before she jumped to her feet. 

“That’s not for you to decide Giotto! Everyone grieves in their own way and I deserve to know about stuff like this! I can’t believe you tried to hide this from me! We’re supposed to be family! No secrets! But I feel like I can’t even trust you!” Tsuna snapped, more tears falling from her eyes as Giotto blinked in shock, watching her as she gripped the fedora tightly, her face twisted in rage. 

“Tsunayoshi…” he whispered, startled from her sudden outburst. Daemon’s words hit him and Giotto mentally cursed him for being right. Looking up at Tsuna, he saw her clench her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth as she shook her head.

“Leave me alone!” Tsunayoshi shouted, turning on her heel and running out the room. Giotto jumped to his feet, trying to catch her before she made it to the door, but he missed.

“Tsunayoshi!” he cried out, blinking in shock before charging after her. She could get lost or even hurt in Vongola Castle if she just ran through it blindly, and there might still be traitors amongst their ranks. He had to catch her! Meanwhile Tsuna was a few good rooms ahead, running blindly through the building. Her feet hit the cold tiled floor upon every step. How could he have done such a thing to her? They were supposed to be siblings, and he tried to hide the most important thing to her from her. Feelings of hate and disgust filled her every thought of Giotto, but they left as soon as they came. He was her brother; she couldn’t hate him for more than two seconds. Surely he’d had a reason for it, maybe? When Tsuna stopped and opened her eyes properly, she had a chance to look around. She was in a strange, large room. It was almost barren except for a table to the side. Each wall connected to a hallway. It was as if being in a maze. She was horribly lost. Looking from left to right, Tsuna circled around herself. Where was she? Where was Giotto? Anyone?

“OPEN FIRE!” shouted a male voice. Tsuna gasped, turning to look to her left. A flash of light filled her vision before she saw a figure appear to her right.

“Tsunayoshi!” shouted Giotto as he ran to her, tackling her down before a barrage of bangs filled the room. Giotto slid them down to the table before knocking the table over, using it as cover from the bullets. The bangs continued to fill the room. Tsuna was frozen in shock, her mind receiving flashes of images of glass being broken by thousands of bullets. Giotto looked at her worriedly, pulling her up to him and hugging her tightly. The fedora remained in her hold.

“Tsunayoshi” Giotto whispered, seeing her snap back to reality and look at him. Her eyes were wide in fright, but she seemed alert. 

“I’m sorry; I never should have tried to keep that from you… You’re right; it’s your place to know. But right now, I need you to listen to me” Giotto stated, seeing Tsuna nod quietly. He gave a gentle smile, pulling her away from him and pointing to the hallway they could escape to. Tsuna nodded, crawling past the table and into the hallway, continuing to crawl away. Giotto reached into his pocket, pulling out a gun. Disabling the safety, he peered over the table and fired several shots, earning cries from their enemy. 

“Giotto!” called out several voices. Giotto looked at the hallway opposite them, seeing G, Daemon, Gokudera, Mukuro, Hibari and Dino running to them.

“Stay back! It’s a firing squad!” Giotto yelled, making them all freeze before they entered the area. G looked around, trying to find the best way to get to Giotto without getting filled with bullets. Looking back and forth, G suddenly ran forward, jumping and sliding until he was beside Giotto, hiding behind the table. He grabbed his own gun, joining Giotto in shooting their attackers. Tsuna, who was huddled up against the wall, far away from the fight, was covering her ears to block out the gunshots. She hated guns, and any form of loud bang, she always had. 

“Look what we have here” stated a voice, making Tsuna twirl to look at the source. A male goon in black was standing there, gun at the ready. Tsuna’s eyes widened, seeing him reach down and grab her arm, pulling her to her feet. She let out a scream, seeing Giotto and G freeze; turning to see her being held up by the man, gun pointed under her throat. Dino, Mukuro, Gokudera, Daemon and Hibari all gasped in horror.

“Boss!” Gokudera shouted, itching to run to her side and protect her. Tsuna felt tears forming at her eyes again. Was she going to die here, in front of everyone? Bella had been right. 

“Now, drop your weapons Giotto, G…” the man taunted, seeing them glare before setting their guns down gently. Tsuna felt the man push her forward, reaching the edge of the hallway. Stepping into the open area, he grinned madly. 

“You don’t need to worry anymore Tsunayoshi Vongola, your life will end here” he stated, nodding at the people further down, aiming all their guns at Tsuna. With a single push, he let her go and she stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. Everyone’s faces formed into shock as they began trying to yell out to her. She could see Gokudera, Hibari and Mukuro trying to run out to her, but her vision was focused on one of the shooters who was mere seconds from pulling the trigger and sending a bullet through her brain. 

“Tsunayoshi!” Giotto shouted over the roar of everything. A sudden bang filled the air, making everyone freeze. Tsuna saw the shooter she’d been looking at suddenly fall backwards, a hole in the middle of her forehead. 

“Nearly didn’t get here in time” stated a familiar voice. Tsuna turned, her eyes widening upon recognising the voice. All the shooters were looking unsure now. Tsuna focused upon the mysterious person, her eyes widening as tears brimmed her vision.


	7. Cakes and Animatronics

**Response to Reviews: Hey guys, love how everyone just assumed it was Reborn, lol. XD. Also, it’s currently going to be a Hibari x Tsuna x Mukuro love triangle story, but I’m still trying to decide who she’s actually going to get with. The romance isn’t going to be a heavy focus though; the main plot is the main focus. But if you guys want to start a voting poll on whom you want Tsuna to get with, that’ll be most welcome. Just review with whom you want her to get with. Obviously with more than just that though, like what you liked about the chapter, etc.**

A small gasp escaped Tsuna as she turned, seeing a familiar figure standing there, gun at the ready. It was someone she hadn’t seen in years, and yet he hadn’t changed at all.

“Dad!” she called out before the man that had grabbed her cried out in pain. Tsuna turned, blinking to see a woman had knocked him out.

“Mum!” Tsuna called out again, seeing her beam her warm smile up at her.

“Tsuna” Nana Sawada chimed, grabbing Tsuna and pulling her back under cover quickly. She held Tsuna tightly in her arms, gently stroking her hair. Tsuna was still frozen, just enjoying the warmth of the embrace. It took a few seconds before she wrapped her arms around her, returning the hug. 

“You guys got a lot of guts attacking my daughter” Iemitsu taunted, lifting his gun and firing several times as Nana covered Tsuna’s ears, blocking out the noise. Tsuna felt the tears she’d been holding back begin to fall down her face. In a matter of seconds, everything was silent as the danger was gone. Tsuna felt her ears being uncovered as she looked up at Nana, seeing her smile warmly at her.

“Tsuna, it’s been too long. I’m sorry we had to lie to you for so many years… But you’re here now, and remember, we’ve always seen you as our daughter” Nana stated, reminding Tsuna of that fact. Tsuna smiled back, nodding her head.

“Nana, Iemitsu… Thank you so much for protecting Tsunayoshi. I thought for a second she was actually going to be killed” Giotto thanked, seeing Iemitsu grin before he scooped Tsuna up into a tight hug. Tsuna hugged him back, trembling as the shock of what had happened sunk in. 

“I’m sorry Giotto… I never meant any of what I said… I was just upset” Tsuna apologised, burying her face in Giotto’s chest, hugging him tightly. Giotto smiled gently, pulling her face out before gently placing his hand on her cheek.

“No Tsunayoshi, I was in the wrong… I never should’ve tried to hide Reborn’s hat from you. It was wrong and selfish of me. I’m just glad you’re still in one piece…” Giotto replied, smiling gently before giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Tsuna couldn’t help but smile, before looking down and gasping. The fedora wasn’t in her hands anymore! Looking around desperately, she spotted the fedora on the ground in the middle of the room. Squirming out of Giotto’s arms, she ran to the fedora, picking it up and hugging it to her chest. 

“I’ll never let this fedora go…” she whispered under her breath before looking up and freezing. All the blood pouring out of the bodies lying across the floor was only growing bigger. Tsuna felt her breathing stop completely; her eyes wide open in fright. 

“Shit!” G cursed, making Giotto react as he ran to grab Tsuna again but someone had beat him to it.

“Tsunayoshi” called out the voice, but Tsuna couldn’t move her body. Flashes of images from her nightmare flooded her head again. It felt like her skull was going to split. However her vision was suddenly covered by a hand. Tsuna instantly relaxed, the images ceasing. 

“Tsunayoshi… Relax…” called out the voice again and Tsuna could register who it was. It was Hibari. Why was he being so nice all of a sudden? Feeling herself being turned around, her vision was uncovered as she blinked, blinded. Hibari was standing alongside her, his other hand still on her shoulder. His expression was still blank and cold, but Tsuna had a feeling she understood him a little better. He just didn’t express himself very well. He felt silly thinking and talking about emotions, and believed it was better to be strong so you could protect what was dearest to you. He actually wasn’t all that scary, and Tsuna believed he liked small things, like animals. Smiling gently at him, she saw his eyes widen before he looked away, a small tinge of pink on his cheeks. 

“Tsunayoshi, are you alright?” Giotto asked, stepping closer to her. Tsuna nodded, still feeling a little shaky. Giotto sighed in relief, patting her head with his hand. Tsuna couldn’t help but giggle a little at the familiar feeling of his hand running through her hair. She heard a thud, turning to see Gokudera had fallen to his knees, babbling in relief. Feeling laughter bubbling in her stomach, she tried to stop the grin on her face, clutching her sides before she burst into laughter. 

“We found a new job for Octopus Head, he’s the Boss’s new clown” Mukuro teased, smirking as Gokudera stood up suddenly, shouting at him. This just caused Tsuna to crack up laughing more. Whines and sobs escaped her as she clutched her stomach, her sides hurting.

“S-Stop it….! Ow! My sides…!” she whined as she continued laughing. Lifting her hand, she wiped her tears as she continued laughing. Hibari couldn’t help but let a small smile form on his face.

“Glad to see she’s finally back to normal, for now at least” Dino stated, sighing in relief as he walked to stand near Iemitsu and Nana. Daemon smirked, walking to Giotto and G. He glanced at Giotto, a smug look on his face as if to say ‘I told you so’. Giotto merely gave him a ‘shut up’ glare. Daemon chuckled, turning to watch Tsuna who had begun to calm down from her laughing fit. Sniffing, Tsuna looked up to glance at Nana and Iemitsu. 

“Will you guys be sticking around? I’d like to catch up, if possible” Tsuna asked, seeing them look at each other before smiling. 

“Of course Tsuna. We’ll be around for two months. Giotto thought that with us here, you might settle in quicker” Nana explained. Tsuna turned to look at Giotto, seeing him turn his head in embarrassment. His cheeks were bright red as he scratched his head. G grinned, chuckling and elbowing Giotto. Tsuna couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her face.

“Thank you Big Brother!” Tsuna thanked. Giotto blinked, having not heard himself called that for years. He couldn’t stop the smile from forming on his own face. 

“Alright kids, it’s already 1am, we need you guys to get some sleep. Tsuna, you start school tomorrow. It’s already late into today, but tomorrow you start. Gokudera, Mukuro, Hibari, I’m counting on you three to help Tsuna get settled in” Nana stated, walking to Tsuna with her hands on her hips. 

“Night time kids!” Iemitsu said, grinning. Hibari, Mukuro and Gokudera nodded, turning and leaving. Tsuna watched them go before turning to see Nana grab her shoulder, leading her to her room. Watching them leave, Daemon turned to look at Giotto.

“Giotto… I believe Tsuna’s hyper intuition is developing…” Daemon stated, making Giotto’s eyes widen, looking at him in disbelief. Daemon remained serious, nodding his head. 

“How can you be certain?” Giotto asked. Daemon bit his lip. He was afraid Giotto would ask him that.

“When I went to see her, I gave her a little test. She dropped her guard quickly when I said I was your guardian and I wanted to remind her she needed to keep her guard up. So I pretended I was going to harm her” Daemon stated. Giotto’s face twisted in rage suddenly as he raised a hand, about to strike at Daemon. Daemon braced himself for it but nothing happened. Looking up, he noticed Giotto was having his hand held back by Iemitsu who shook his head at him.

“Listen to the boy fully before you start swinging your fists…” Iemitsu reminded him. Giotto twisted his hand free of Iemitsu’s grip before looking at Daemon, looking a little calmer. 

“Continue…” Giotto stated, sighing to himself. 

“Very well. I had her pinned down. Don’t worry, I didn’t have anything in mind, it was just to give her a scare. And it was working, she was scared for a few seconds, but then she suddenly started relaxing. I let her go and she suddenly said everything I’d been intending to do, as if she’d looked right into my heart” Daemon finished. Giotto blinked, thinking to himself. 

“I think you’re right… But it’s different from my Hyper Intuition… I wonder when it started developing….” Giotto questioned, holding his chin in his hand. Daemon sighed in relief, glad he wasn’t going to get slogged in the face. 

“Well, thinking about it won’t get us anywhere… We should get some sleep as well” Iemitsu stated, putting a hand on G and Giotto’s shoulder. Leading them away, Daemon smiled before following after them.

\--

It was Tsuna’s first day at High School. There was no middle school at the school she was going to, and she didn’t know the language very well. Thankfully Giotto had them all attending a High School where lots of Japanese students went to. Tsuna was very thankful for that, and if she didn’t understand anything, Gokudera and Yamamoto would explain it to her. Stepping into the school grounds with the two boys by her side, she noticed Mukuro sitting under a tree a distance away and Ryohei running laps around the school building. 

“Stupid turf head…” Gokudera cussed, glaring at Ryohei who was shouting out ‘extreme’ as he ran. Tsuna giggled alongside Yamamoto. 

“Oh, Tsuna! You’re surrounded by guys all the time, right? Let me introduce you to some girls, okay?” Yamamoto stated, beaming a smile at her. Tsuna smiled, nodding her head. It’d be nice to meet and finally talk to some girls. 

“The Boss doesn’t need girls to talk to!” Gokudera snapped, glaring at Yamamoto. He just turned, giving him a smile.

“You forget Tsuna is a girl. Girls need girls to talk to… They can’t tell guys everything” Yamamoto reminded him, making Gokudera cuss under his breath. Yamamoto put a hand on her shoulder, leading her towards another area of the school. Three girls were sitting in a circle, chatting happily to each other. One of the girls had short orange hair and gold eyes, the second had brown hair up in a ponytail with brown eyes and the third had hair similar to Mukuro’s except it was dark purple and she had a purple eye, the other covered with an eye patch. 

“Ah, Yamamoto! Gokudera!” called out the brunette as she waved her hand madly. The other two turned to glance at them. 

“Hey girls. I’m here to introduce someone. This is Tsunayoshi Sawada; she’s new to the school, just flown in from Japan. Think maybe she could hang with you guys for a little?” Yamamoto asked. The orange haired girl smiled brightly, standing and walking to Tsuna, taking her hands in hers.

“Tsuna, welcome to Italy. I’m Kyoko Sasagawa, this is Haru Muira and Chrome Dokuro” she introduced, smiling brightly at her. Tsuna smiled back, nodding her head politely.

“Nice to meet you…” Tsuna mumbled, blushing a little. Haru began babbling to her madly while Chrome sat there and watched her silently. 

“Well, I’ll leave you in their capable hands. See you later Tsuna” Yamamoto stated, waving as he pulled Gokudera away. Tsuna turned, waving goodbye to the boys as they left. 

“So Tsuna, what kind of things do you like to do? I was thinking maybe after school we could go get some cake from a cake shop I like. What do you say?” Haru asked. Tsuna thought to herself before nodding with a big smile. She hadn’t had cake in a while; it might be a nice change. 

“Sure, cake sounds great” Tsuna stated, seeing all three of the girls start smiling. She had a feeling she was going to get along great with these girls. She was thankful to Yamamoto for introducing them. She’d have to thank him next time she saw him. 

\--

After class, Tsuna walked down the street with the girls, approaching the cake shop. Entering, Tsuna froze at what she saw greeting them. A strange, giant, robotic cat animatronic greeted them in a recorded singing voice. How was that even cute? It was just terrifying.

“Oh! They got a new instalment? That must be one of those animatronics from America. They use them at Pizza Parlours in America. Have you heard of them Tsuna?” Kyoko asked, turning to smile at her. Tsuna tried to force a smile, her eye twitching.

“U-Um… I remember a classmate playing a game that made me scared of these things…” she stated, beginning to feel her anxiety kick in. Haru tilted her head in curiosity.

“What game?” she asked. Tsuna sighed. 

“It was a horror game called Five Nights at Freddy’s… The animatronics came to life during the night and kill the security guard, stuffing them into the animatronic bodies” Tsuna explained. Chrome, Kyoko and Haru all gasped, turning to look at the cat animatronic in slight disgust. It couldn’t really happen though, so they shrugged it aside and sat down at a table. They all ordered a cake each, chatting happily to each other. They didn’t even notice the store become empty. When Tsuna finally did, she looked around in confusion.

“Hey, where did everyone go?” Tsuna asked, catching all their attention.

“I don’t know…” Chrome chipped in shyly. Tsuna raised a brow, standing from her seat and walking to the door. Grabbing the handle, she tugged it only to find out it wasn’t opening. Her eyes widened upon realisation of what was going on. 

“Girls! We need to get out of here now! Something’s not right! Maybe we can get out the back!” Tsuna stated, making them look at each other in confusion before standing and following after her. 

“Do any of you know the layout of the store?” Tsuna asked, seeing Haru raise her hand. Letting Haru lead the way, Tsuna took up the rear. Approaching the back of the store, Tsuna looked around before something suddenly grabbed her ankle harshly. Tsuna let out a gasp before the floor came up to greet her harshly. Turning, she froze and let out a scream as she realised the cat animatronic had her and was dragging her away from the other girls.

“Tsuna!” Kyoko yelled, turning to see Tsuna being dragged away. Haru let out a shriek as Chrome backed away, trembling. 

“T-The game was true!” Haru shrieked, letting out another shriek as the animatronic stopped dragging Tsuna. Tsuna looked up into its beady glass eyes, trembling in terror.

“Can’t use your Hyper Intuition on a robot, can you Tsunayoshi Vongola?” taunted the voice of the animatronic. Tsuna froze, realising the robot was being controlled by an outside force to capture her, but what did it mean by Hyper Intuition. And better yet, how was she going to get out of this? Its grip was stronger than steel and a single push of the person’s buttons could snap her legs clean off.


	8. The Power of Mist and Cloud

**I created a group on DeviantART for this fanfic, but I haven't actually got anything on it yet. I'm drawing tonnes of artwork for the series as well, but it's all lineart at the moment. When I get a chance to scan it in, I'll be sure to post it to my account and the group. I'll also be posting the chapters on DeviantART as well when I get further into it. Also, if anyone draws their own fanart of the series, or little stuff they do, I'd love to see it. The group is called 'Parallel-Worlds-FF'. Anyone who's a fan of the fanfic is welcome. :D**

“Someone help me!” Tsuna screamed out, feeling the cat animatronic dragging her down the hallway. She struggled, kicking her legs around before she managed to catch her hand on the side of the table. She held on tightly, desperately to slip out of its grip. 

“Tsuna!” Kyoko shouted, running to her and holding out her hands. Tsuna looked up at her before letting go with one hand and felt Kyoko grab her hand with both of hers. Haru had run to them as well, grabbing her other hand off the table and held it tightly in both her hands. Chrome had run at the cat animatronic, grabbing a nearby chair. She lifted it, attempting to hit the cat with it. The chair only shamed into a thousand pieces as Chrome’s eye widened. 

“We need to get it to let Tsuna go!” Haru shouted, continuing to pull at Tsuna with Kyoko. Tsuna winced in pain, feeling like she was being stretched. Both had grips of iron, but if it came to a test of strength, that damn cat would win. 

“Get out the store! Get help! Hurry! Don’t worry about me!” Tsuna called out over them yelling to each other. All three of them looked at her in silent disbelief.

“We’re not going to abandon you!” Kyoko yelled, frowning in disapproval. Tsuna glanced back at the animatronic again, glaring as she flailed her legs around. 

“You’re just going to get hurt yourselves! I need you all to stop being so stubborn and go get help! If you stay here, no one will know what’s happening!” Tsuna yelled back, hearing Kyoko gasp as she turned, looking at Haru. They both glanced at Chrome who looked just as conflicted as them. They all looked down at Tsuna, who gave them a reassuring smile. 

“I’ll be alright, go get help” Tsuna stated in a calm voice, but inside she was still mentally panicking. Kyoko and Haru nodded, putting her hands back on the table edge and Tsuna gripped them with all her might. The girls took off, running to the back exit. 

Meanwhile, Mukuro, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Hibari and Ryohei were running through the town, trying to locate Tsuna. 

“Boss!” Gokudera shouted, looking around in a panic. He’d taken his eyes off Tsuna for a few minutes during class and somehow she’d disappeared. Had she made plans with those stupid girls that that baseball idiot introduced her to? If so, where had they gone?

“Tsuna!” Yamamoto yelled, looking around before Hibari suddenly stopped them all. Gokudera growled, pulling out several sticks of dynamite. 

“What do you think you’re doing bastard!? Boss is missing!” Gokudera yelled, but Hibari glared at him calmly.

“Running in a group like this is getting us nowhere… We need to split up…” Hibari stated calmly. Gokudera jumped back, blinking in shock. He looked at Yamamoto who nodded.

“I have to agree with him, as much as I hate to… Yamamoto, Gokudera, you two head West. Ryohei, you head North. Hibari can head South and I’ll head East” Mukuro stated, flicking some hair away from his eye with his gloved hand. Hibari turned to glare at him as Gokudera only got more pissed off.

“Why do I have to go with the baseball idiot!?” Gokudera shouted. Mukuro smirked, chuckling to himself.

“Because, you two are the only ones who can’t fight solitarily. The rest of us have the ability to fight on our own, you two require someone to watch your back” Mukuro stated. Gokudera cussed under his breath, but reluctantly agreed. 

“We’ll keep in touch via the phones. Now to find Sawada to the EXTREME!” Ryohei stated, yelling loudly enough for the next district to hear. Everyone nodded, turning and running in the directions they were assigned. Mukuro ran to the East, looking around for signs of his boss. She was such a simple girl, but could she really be so stupid to go out on her own without any protection? Wait, he recalled hearing something from Chrome earlier that day. She said she was going to a cake shop with some friends after school! Skidding to a stop, he turned and began running South. He had to beat Hibari in finding her. Those two had been strong rivals for years. Hibari strived to be the strongest, and Mukuro was the first and only person to ever defeat him. Mukuro just enjoyed teasing him, finding some of his expressions and reactions priceless. 

Turning the corner, he noticed the cake shop that Chrome said she was going to appeared to be closed. Raising a brow, he walked around the back, being knocked into by several people who were running. Mukuro lifted his hands, steadying the person who bumped into him. Looking down, he gasped to see Haru, Kyoko and Chrome, all looking startled.

“Mukuro!” Chrome exclaimed, looking relieved to see him.

“Chrome, ladies! What’s going on?!” Mukuro asked, gripping Chrome’s shoulders tightly. He saw her eye well with tears as the other girls began to relax.

“Tsuna’s in trouble! Please! We have to help her!” Kyoko pleaded. Mukuro’s eyes widened upon her words, looking at her in disbelief.

“Where is she?” he asked, seeing the back door open still. Haru pointed into the building before a loud scream made them all freeze. That was Tsuna!

“Tsunayoshi!” Mukuro yelled, letting Chrome go as he ran to the door. The first thing he noticed was it was dark in the store. Chrome, Kyoko and Haru all followed after him, keeping their distance. 

“It might be dangerous ladies. You might want to wait outside” Mukuro warned, seeing them all frown in determination.

“No way, Tsuna’s our friend! We’re not leaving her” Haru stated proudly. Mukuro sighed, shrugging his shoulder at them.

“Very well. Chrome, make sure they don’t get hurt” Mukuro instructed. Chrome nodded as they both clicked their fingers, a long staff with a trident appearing in their hands. Mukuro stepped into the building, looking around before he gasped in shock. The cat animatronic had managed to pluck Tsuna away from the table and was holding her up into the air. Its hands were wrapped around her arms and torso and it looked like it was squeezing. Tsuna’s face was scrunched in pain and she was going pale from lack of oxygen. 

“This will be difficult… A robot is not easily fooled by illusions. Chrome, I will require your help to subdue it. Can you distract it while I try and disconnect it from its owner?” Mukuro asked, seeing Chrome nod. She tapped her staff into the ground, a mist beginning to cover the ground. The animatronic froze, looking around in what looked like confusion. 

“What is this?” asked the robotic voice. Tsuna managed to open one eye to glance at what was going on. The grip around her had loosened a little, but nowhere near enough for her to escape. Mukuro snuck around, managing to get behind the animatronic while it was distracted. Tsuna’s eyes widened upon seeing him, catching the animatronics’ attention. 

“What? Did you see a glimmer of hope?” it asked tauntingly. Its grip returned to tight and Tsuna let out a yell before she made a wheezing gasp, trying to inhale air. Mukuro frowned, holding his trident before smashing it into the back of the animatronic. It split into it, piercing through his wires and electronics. It began to spaz out, shaking and its head began to spin around. Mission accomplished, or so Mukuro thought before a pained screamed filled the air. He gasped, looking up to see Tsuna had her eyes open wide in pain, her skin ghostly pale. Its grip was only increasing in tightness. Before anyone could do anything though, a black blur shot into the building, tearing off the arms of the cat animatronic. Tsuna fell to the ground, gasping for air as she clutched at her school tie, undoing it to breathe. Mukuro turned to see Hibari standing there, tonfas at the ready. Electricity sparked from the animatronic as it turned to look at Hibari. It was still going spaz and shaking madly.

“Scary…” Kyoko and Haru stated, seeing its head begin spinning again.

“Tsunayoshi… Vongola… Tsunayoshi… Vongola… Die… Die… Die…” its robotic voice began to sing out in chorus before it began repeating the last word like a record stuck in the crack. Tsuna managed to pull herself up, glaring at the animatronic. She was getting sick of this thing. Thanks to it, her lungs were hurting but luckily it hadn’t damaged any of her ribs. Pushing herself up so she was kneeling, she saw Mukuro and Hibari glance at each other. The animatronic wasn’t a threat anymore unless it fell on someone and crushed them. But it was getting annoying, repeating the word die all the time. 

“Oh enough already!” Tsuna shouted, the animatronic stopped spinning its head, turning slowly to face Tsuna as she rose to her feet, running at it. Hibari and Mukuro watched, eyes open wide in shock before she twirled, swinging her leg at it. Its eyes suddenly turned, locking onto her before her heel and foot collided with the side of its head. A sickening ‘smash’ sound was heard as the light disappeared from its eyes. Slowly the animatronic leaned to the side she hadn’t smashed before it fell to the ground with a loud ‘bang’. Tsuna lowered her leg, panting heavily still. 

“Tsuna!” called out the girls. Tsuna turned, eyes widening when she realised the girls were still there. Kyoko and Haru ran to her, hugging her tightly as they began bawling.

“You’re okay! Thank goodness!” Kyoko stated, her grip around Tsuna’s shoulders tight. Tsuna smiled, wrapping her arms around both girls. Haru had a death grip around Tsuna’s torso, her face buried in her chest. If this had been any other situation, Tsuna would’ve been very uncomfortable. Patting both girls on the head, she saw Chrome approach, holding a trident spear in her hands. Looking at Mukuro, he was holding the same spear trident. 

“Hey… I’ve got a question, and correct me if I’m wrong… But are you two related? You seem very similar…” Tsuna asked. Chrome turned to look at Mukuro before smiling.

“I’m Mukuro’s cousin. We grew up together” Chrome replied. Ah, so that was the relation between them. Tsuna knew there had to be some kind of connection. 

“Yeah, we got her. We’ll bring her back to Vongola Castle…” Hibari stated, holding his mobile in his hand. Tsuna glanced at him, seeing him hang up with a sigh. Had the others been out looking for her? Now she felt bad for having caused so much trouble. But she thought all the trouble was in Vongola Castle and in private; she didn’t think they’d attack in broad daylight and public. 

“Sorry for causing all this trouble guys… I thought going out like this in a group was safe…” Tsuna apologised, seeing Mukuro smile at her. Hibari sighed, turning away. 

“Just remember to take one of us with you next time you go anywhere…” Hibari stated, still facing away from her. Tsuna couldn’t stop the small smile from forming on her face. Despite how these guys acted, they were both really nice people. 

“Well, I suggest we find the real owner of the store now” Mukuro stated, making everyone look at him confusion.

“What do you mean Mukuro?” Chrome asked, seeing Mukuro smirk.

“Would the owner of the store actually allow such a dangerous thing into his store and allow it to harm a customer? Most likely he’s somewhere here. Haru, is there a closet, basement or back room to this store?” Mukuro asked, turning to look at Haru. Haru frowned in thought before something struck her. 

“There is a back room! Follow me!” Haru exclaimed, letting Tsuna go and running to where the back room was located. Tsuna looked at everyone else, nodding before they all ran after her. Haru pushed the back room door open, gasping to see a man on the ground, tied up in ropes.

“Sir!” she called out, running to him. Kneeling down, she began undoing the ropes around him. He opened his eyes, glancing at her.

“Haru? Is that you? How did you know I was here?” he asked. When Tsuna arrived, she gasped to see a frail elderly man. He looked like someone’s grandpa. He was a sweet old man, looking at Haru as if she were his own granddaughter. 

“Sir, the people who did this to you, they put in a scary cat robot from America! It tried to kill my friend!” Haru sobbed, hugging the old man tightly. He wrapped an arm around her back, comforting her. His eyes widened open her words, looking at Tsuna directly.

“Was it you dear child? I’m so sorry for any damage anything in my store may have done… I do hope you’ll come back one day to eat some cake” he apologised. Tsuna couldn’t help but giggle, smiling as she nodded.

“Of course. But right now we all need to get out of here” she stated, seeing the old man nod. Haru began trying to help him to his feet as Kyoko knelt down, helping. Chrome stopped beside Tsuna, still holding her trident in her hands.

“Tsuna… We need to leave now… They’ll be coming to check on the robot…” Chrome warned. Tsuna nodded, her expression serious.

“Alright everyone. We need to go, now” Tsuna stated, earning nods from everyone. Walking to the main room, they looked between the front door and the back door.

“Which way would be the safest way out?” Tsuna asked, looking to Mukuro and Hibari. They looked at each other before looking back to her.

“They’ll most likely come from the back… We should leave from the front” Hibari stated, earning a nod from Mukuro. Tsuna agreed, turning and pointing to the front door.

“Sir, do you have the key to get us out of here?” Haru asked, still helping the man stand up by offering her shoulder. The old man reached into his pocket, revealing the key. Chrome took the key from him, rushing to the front door and opening it. Tsuna watched anxiously as Chrome fiddled with the key before she heard a whirring sound behind her. Freezing, she turned slowly to see the cat animatronic had lifted its head up, its mouth open wide as what looked like a laser was charging. Mukuro glanced at her, seeing her expression before he realised what had spooked her. 

“Tsunayoshi!” he shouted, catching everyone’s attention as they all looked. The animatronic fired the laser but Mukuro had grabbed her, shielding her as it looked like the laser was about to hit. An explosion of mist filled the room and when it cleared, Mukuro and Tsuna were nowhere to be seen. 

“Quick Chrome! Get us out of here!” Kyoko shouted as Chrome opened the door. Haru and Kyoko quickly hurried the man out as Hibari smashed up the animatronic properly. Exiting, he looked around, annoyed. 

“Damn pineapple head…” he cursed under his breath. He’d escaped with Tsunayoshi, leaving him with the girls and the old man. Just great…


	9. Secrets of Mist

**Hey guys, sorry this chapter took so long. I caught a bad cold that kinda made it difficult for me to even think properly. But I’m mostly recovered, still a bit snuffly. Anyway, here’s the next chapter. I’ll be trying to get back into the rhythm of writing a chapter in a day, maybe two.**

Tsuna opened her eyes slowly, looking around. She couldn’t feel the ground beneath her feet, but she was held tightly in someone’s arms. Looking up, she saw Mukuro holding her tightly, a frown over his face. Looking around, she couldn’t see anything besides a terrifying darkness surrounding them. 

“Mukuro… Where are we?” Tsuna asked, seeing Mukuro look down at her. 

“It appears we’ve been transported into an illusion” Mukuro stated, making Tsuna look around in shock.

“An illusion? You mean… you didn’t create this?” Tsuna asked, being let go from Mukuro’s arms, but he kept her hand tightly in his. Mukuro frowned, seeing the black begin to morph into a scene.

“No, I didn’t… But I don’t know who’s doing this, or what they’re trying to show us either…” Mukuro answered, looking at Tsuna. Tsuna turned to look back at him, her eyes wide in slight fear. Mukuro managed a small, reassuring smile back at her, sensing her worry as he gave her hand a small squeeze. When the scene finally finished forming, Tsuna and Mukuro both gasped in shock. Before them was what looked like a little Mukuro, no older than five years old. He looked happy, running around his backyard while two people, who Tsuna assumed were his parents, watched with a smile on their face. They were absolutely beautiful people. 

“Mother… Father… I almost forgot their faces…” Mukuro whispered, making Tsuna turn to look at him. She gasped silently, seeing tears beginning to fall down Mukuro’s face. He was watching the scene in what looked like awe, but silent tears fell down his cheeks.

“Mukuro…” Tsuna whispered, giving his hand a squeeze to comfort him. Something must’ve happened to Mukuro’s parents not long after if he forgot their faces. Tsuna could feel her hand being squeezed back, which made her heart pang with a sharp stab of pain. A sudden flash of red changed the scenery and Tsuna froze, seeing that both Mukuro’s parents were leaning against the wall, large stains of deep, red blood behind them on the wall. Little Mukuro ran into the room, gasping when he saw them, then turned, freezing in shock at the men in black suits that saw him. They approached him, grabbing him as he begged, pleaded and screamed for his life. This was too horrible. Tsuna couldn’t bear to watch anymore, closing her eyes tightly and looking away. She could hear screams of fear filling her ears, echoing in her mind. Mukuro was just watching in a stunned stupor. The tears had stopped for the moment, he was just staring, horrified. The screams suddenly changed to screams of pain, making Tsuna gasp and look up. Little Mukuro had been strapped to a table, lots of machinery around him and a person grinning as began cutting into him. Tsuna was frozen in horror, her eyes wide as she watched the scenes. Tears fell down her face. Mukuro had been through so much pain? They couldn’t see much of what was happening to Little Mukuro, due to the man standing in front of them, but they could hear his screams and see his head rolling to the sides, see the looks on his face as he endured the torture. 

“Stop it…” Mukuro whispered, looking down at his feet. Tsuna looked at him, seeing his shoulders shaking as his grip on her hand tightened to an almost painful strength. She winced, seeing tears falling down his cheeks and off his chin. 

“Mukuro…” she whispered, not having the correct words to say. No words could comfort him, not after viewing something like this. 

“STOP IT!!!” Mukuro suddenly shouted, looking up as Tsuna gasped, seeing the rage on his face as the tears fell down his cheeks. His rage didn’t last very long though, for he collapsed to his knees, sobbing as his body shook violently. Tsuna’s eyes widened, looking at Mukuro’s collapsed, broken form as he was violently reminded of what had happened in his past. 

“This is why I hate the mafia… They killed my family… They stole me… I hate them… But the Vongola family saved me… They took me in… They’re different from the other mafia families… But still… I hate the mafia… I HATE THEM!!” Mukuro explained, his voice trembling before he shouted, shaking his head violently as he let go of Tsuna’s hand, clutching his head in his hands. Tsuna blinked in shock, seeing him having a breakdown. 

“Mukuro!” she exclaimed, running to him and kneeling in front of him. He didn’t respond to her, he didn’t even acknowledge that she’d spoke. Tsuna frowned, hearing the scene happening behind her. 

“OH ENOUGH ALREADY!!!” she shouted, turning to glare at the scenery as she felt a burst of something hot on her forehead. She paid it no heed, overtaken by her own rage. Mukuro was always so cool, calm and collected. Sure, he was a tease and he flirted a lot, but those were endearing traits of his. To see him broken down like this, she knew this had to end now! Standing to her feet, she lifted her hands, balling them into fists. The scenery morphed into a strange black shadow of what looked like a person. 

“How interesting. It seems you’ve activated your dying will mode all on your own” the voice stated in a deep chuckle.

“Shut up!” Tsuna snarled, charging at the person and throwing her fist forward. Her eyes widened as she went straight through him, stumbling through him entirely. Turning, she growled, not even noticing her fists were on fire. 

“You coward!” she snarled, her voice low and dangerous. The shadow only chuckled as he moved, now behind Mukuro. 

“He’s gone, no matter what you do or say, he’s broken” taunted the voice, making Tsuna growl darkly. She charged forward, swinging her first over the top of Mukuro’s head, making sure to avoid him. The shadow chuckled, stepping back a little.

“I give up…” Mukuro whispered. Tsuna’s eyes widened upon his words, all her anger disappearing in an instant. The hot feeling left her as well as she looked down at him, her body shaking. Those words terrified her to the core. 

“Mukuro!” she shouted falling to her knees in front of him and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pulling her to him as she held him comfortingly in a hug.

“It’s not over! Don’t give up! I wanted to give up many times when I felt my world get turned upside, but I managed to stay strong! I’m not asking you to pull a brave face and endure the world alone, but rely on me! I promise I’ll be there for you! No matter what, you’re not alone! Remember that! You have friends!” Tsuna exclaimed, making Mukuro slowly look up at him, blinking in shock. The tears had dried and the outside of his eyes were a little red, but this close Tsuna could see there was actual kanji written in his right eye. She formed a small smile, nodding her head to him, before glancing up at the shadow.

“And I swear to you, that if this is what the mafia stands for, then with the Vongola family, I WILL DESTROY THE MAFIA!!” Tsuna shouted, standing to her feet as the heat returned to her head. All her anger had come back in one fell swoop, making it feel even hotter than before. Mukuro gasped in shock, seeing what was actually happening. Tsuna had activated her Dying Will Mode, igniting a flame upon her forehead as her fists glowed in bright, orange flames. It was another trait that the Vongola family got, but it didn’t come to even generation. Generally the Vongola heads would have multiple children and only one child gained the Dying Will Mode, ensuring their succession, but this was the first time in over 200 years that both Vongola children had gotten Dying Will Modes. 

“Is that so? I’d like to see you defeat me then, get that started” taunted the shadow. Tsuna growled, her instincts taking over as she raised one hand in front of her, the other behind her. Growling, the back one began to fire out a big burst of flames at a rapid rate. The other hand in front of her began to glow brilliantly. Mukuro blinked, not realising what she was trying to do. It suddenly hit him as he gasped, standing to his feet and summoning his trident staff. Turning to glare at the shadow, he twirled his staff and tapped it into the ground. The shadow gasped, looking around before Mukuro turned, frowning at Tsuna in determination.

“Get him Tsuna!” he shouted, seeing Tsuna’s eyes flash for a moment. She let out a yell as her front hand suddenly exploded flames that flew and hit the shadow, making him scream in agony as his body was torn apart. Mukuro had cancelled his illusion of making his body transparent and given him a real life body that could be hurt. Hearing the scream stop, Tsuna cancelled her attack, all traces of the heat from her body disappearing as she swayed back and forth, dizzy. Mukuro gasped, running to her and caught her in his arms before she collapsed. She looked up at him weakly, her vision growing hazy.

“Never give up…” she whispered, her consciousness slipping as she fell asleep, being held up by Mukuro. 

“Goodness me… What am I going to do with you…?” he joked, pushing hair away from her face. He smiled gently, seeing the innocent look on her sleeping face. He could do many things to her here and no one would know, but… she’d been one of the only people to accept him, even after seeing all these things here. She’d saved him from his own despair. There was no way he could harm her. He just wanted to protect her, and if it took his life to do it, so be it. Feeling the darkness melting away, Mukuro found himself in the middle of a large, grassy hill in one of the parks nearby where they’d been. So this was where they were taken. Laying Tsuna down on the grass, he knelt down and pulled out his own cell phone.

“Mukuro! Where were you!? Hibari said you and Tsuna just disappeared! What happened?” asked Giotto after Mukuro dialled the number for a few seconds.

“We ran into what I assume was another assassin. Although they tried to subdue me so they could kill Tsuna, I got to witness something amazing. Tsuna actually activated her Dying Will Mode all on her own and completely destroyed the assassin!” Mukuro stated, hearing Giotto gasp on the other side of the phone. 

“She what!?” he exclaimed. Mukuro chuckled to himself.

“She activated it all on her own. She used a technique where she held one hand in front of her, the other behind her, and blasted flames from the hand behind her. Her front one was glowing so I assume she was charging it up, then she suddenly blasted a powerful shot of flames at her opponent, destroying him” Mukuro stated. Giotto remained silent on the phone, in thought.

“I see. Bring her home and we’ll discuss it further” he stated. Mukuro chuckled in response.

“I would love to, see, there’s a complication with that. She used up so much strength she fell unconscious, so I’m letting her sleep for a bit before I try to move her. We’re safe though, don’t worry” Mukuro stated. Giotto chuckled to himself.

“That does sound like her. Very well, let her sleep a little” Giotto stated, hanging up the phone. Mukuro put his phone away; turning to look at Tsuna’s sleeping form in the grass beside him. Lifting a hand, he gently began to move locks of her hair out of her face as she slept, sighing contently.


	10. Bonds

“Tsuna… Tsuna…” called out a soft female voice, making Tsuna grumble to herself as her eyes opened. She was in a familiar setting, her bedroom in Vongola Castle. A familiar woman sat on her bedside, gently stroking the hair from her face.

“Mom…” Tsuna whispered, making Nana smile down at her. She gently cupped Tsuna’s cheek, seeing she was awake now.

“Goodness me Tsuna. You slept for a good day and a half. You must’ve been exhausted…” Nana exclaimed, beaming a smile as she waved with her spare hand. Two figures walked into the room after peering their heads in. One was Iemitsu, the second was Giotto. 

“She’s awake now, she can talk, but I don’t know how coherent she is… She’s still a little out of it” Nana explained to them, earning nods from both of them. Giotto walked to the other side of her bed, sitting down on the edge and gently holding her hand in both of his. Tsuna managed a weak smile, seeing the worry on his face.

“I feel heavy… I’m not sure if it’s the blankets… or just exhaustion…” Tsuna whispered, barely able to get her voice audible. It was dry and scorching to try and talk. Iemitsu noticed how raspy she was, heading out the room to get her something to eat and drink. 

“Tsuna, do you remember what happened?” Nana asked, tilting her head. Giotto shook his head at her, looking back to Tsuna.

“Let her rest for a little first Nana. She needs to eat and drink something before she starts speaking. Her throat must be way too dry” Giotto stated, smiling gently as he gave Tsuna’s hand a small squeeze. Tsuna laid on the bed, still in thought. What had happened to cause her to be like this? Oh yeah… That shadow guy attacked and she and Mukuro had defeated him. What happened after that? Tsuna couldn’t remember anything. She’d been standing there, remembering Mukuro’s arms around her as he held her up, then everything was black. Hearing the door open, Tsuna’s attention was diverted as she looked up to see Iemitsu walk in with a tray that had a bowl of cereal on it and a glass of water. 

“It’s almost tea time Tsuna, but you’ve been out of it for a while so you’d better just stomach something light” Iemitsu stated, beaming a smile as he walked to the bed. Tsuna nodded, pushing herself up so she was sitting with Giotto’s help. Iemitsu placed the tray on her lap, ruffling her hair in his hand.

“Eat up kiddo. You need it” Iemitsu joked, grinning at her. Tsuna smiled back, grabbing the spoon as she stirred the cereal, beginning to eat. She didn’t quite realize just how hungry she was and ended up scarfing down her food quickly, drinking the water in a few gulps.

“Easy there Tsunayoshi. There is plenty more, fear not” Giotto reassured, patting her shoulder after Tsuna sighed in relief, placing the cup down.

“Wow, I needed that” Tsuna exclaimed, her voice having returned to normal. Nana smiled happily, grabbing the tray and handing it back to Iemitsu.

“Now, do you remember what happened Tsuna?” Nana asked, returning her attention to Tsuna as Iemitsu left the room. Tsuna looked down at her lap in thought.

“I remember beating that shadow guy… Then I started falling, I think… I don’t remember any more than that” Tsuna stated, looking up at Giotto. He smiled gently back at her, lifting his hand to gently ruffle her hair.

“That’s correct. Mukuro carried you home. It was actually quite a long walk, you might want to thank him next time you see him” Giotto explained, gently running his fingers through her hair. Tsuna smiled gently, nodding in understanding. 

“I see. Yeah, I’ll thank him next time I see him” Tsuna replied, a small smile on her face as she looked at her hands. Giotto watched her curiously, studying her and her behavior. Did she really achieve Dying Will Mode? That shouldn’t be possible. Giotto had been considered a prodigy in the Vongola family and he hadn’t achieved Dying Will Mode until he was at least 18. Tsuna had just turned 16, so how had she been able to activate it all on her own? Was it the situation? Did she even know she’d done such a thing? Tsuna glanced up, seeing Giotto staring intently at her.

“Big Brother?” Tsuna asked, tilting her head curiously. Giotto snapped out of his thoughts, beaming a smile.

“Oh, yes?” Giotto asked, smiling almost too innocently. Tsuna raised a brow, sensing Giotto was hiding something from her again. 

“Big Brother… What did we just have a huge argument about not long ago? I said we need to build this family on trust… Don’t hide things from me” Tsuna stated, seeing Giotto’s eyes widen in shock. He blinked in a stunned stupor. 

“Giotto. You should tell her. She has a right to know” Nana scolded, frowning at Giotto. Giotto looked at her in disbelief. She was on Tsuna’s side now? Giotto sighed to himself.

“Very well… Tsunayoshi… There is an ability called Dying Will Mode that members of the Vongola family gain in their life. Generally it’s only limited to one person per generation, and I got that ability when I was 18. It’s normally used to pick the successor to the family. However, when you were attacked by the enemy with Mukuro, you activated your Dying Will Mode then” Giotto explained, seeing Tsuna’s eyes widen in shock. 

“What? So, there’s no way to decide who’s in charge of the family now? We won’t have to fight will we?” Tsuna asked, looking at Giotto with a panicked expression. Giotto chuckled, shaking his head. Tsuna sighed in relief. She was so glad she wouldn’t have to fight him. He was a lot bigger and stronger than her, not to mention older. He’d kick her ass in no time. Giotto suddenly began frowning, making Tsuna jump as she focused on him.

“Anyway. Dying Will Mode is an ability that allows us to harvest power in the form of flames. Due to the element that the Vongola family is, that element is always Sky. Sky is the one that controls all the other elements, such as Storm, Lightning, Mist, Cloud, etc. It is usually an orange coloured flame. For us Vongola folk, when we enter Dying Will Mode an orange flame will sprout from our forehead, and sometimes we’ll be able to shoot out flames from our hands. Mukuro saw this on you when you fought the enemy” Giotto explained, making Tsuna exclaimed loudly, patting at her forehead desperately.

“M-My forehead was on fire!? Is my hair okay!?” Tsuna practically squealed, desperate to see if her hair was okay. Nana quickly fished her hands, holding them tightly in her own.

“Tsuna, it’s okay. Your hair is fine, and the Dying Will flames are just energy, it’s not actual fire. It won’t harm you at all, just your opponent” Nana reassured, snapping Tsuna back to the final moments of the battle, the scream of the shadow man echoing through her mind as he was torn to pieces. Tsuna’s eyes widened, her breathing becoming shaky as she looked at her hands which were shaking violently. 

“Tsuna?” Nana questioned, seeing Tsuna in the middle of what looked like a panic attack. Her eyes widened, seeing the shocked and terrified state Tsuna was in. 

“Tsunayoshi?” Giotto asked, scooting forward and putting a hand on her knee. Tsuna jumped violently from the touch. She felt her vision shaking around violently as black rims filled the edge of her vision. Screams echoed through her mind, a combination of the Shadow man and little Mukuro’s. She could see little Mukuro strapped to that table, the man standing by the table and chuckling as he cut into Mukuro and did god only knows what else to him. Her breathing became even more unstable as the visions continued.

“Tsunayoshi?” Iemitsu asked, opening the door. He’d heard the commotion inside and had poked his head in to see if she was okay. Hearing the door open, Tsuna’s head snapped up, her eyes still wide open. Her teeth grit, she pushed the blankets off her, practically jumping up off the bed. Nana and Giotto tried to grab at her but she dodged them, running for the door. Iemitsu grabbed her wrist, nearly pulling Tsuna off her feet as she was tugged back.

“Tsunayoshi! What is this all about!?” Iemitsu exclaimed, seeing Tsuna turn to look at him, her face still the same.

“I need to find Mukuro! A-All the things he’s been through… I-It was terrible…! T-That man… H-He… I-I have to find him!!” Tsuna exclaimed, her voice shaky as she wrenched her hand free from Iemitsu. Tsuna began running down the hall, heading to the dining hall. Bursting through the doors, she saw several heads turn to glance at her. 

“Boss?” Gokudera asked, tilting his head at her condition. Tsuna scanned the room quickly, unable to find who she was looking for. Yamamoto, Ryohei, Lambo and Chrome were all in the room as well. 

“Tsuna? Everything okay?” Yamamoto asked, raising a brow. Despite his dense nature, he was actually quite observant when people were upset or something was wrong. Tsuna panted heavily, still scanning the room before she heard a chorus of footsteps after her. She gasped, turning to look back to Gokudera and Yamamoto.

“Gokudera! Where’s Mukuro? Do you know?” Tsuna pleaded, running to him and grabbing his hand in hers, looking at him with pleading eyes. Gokudera gasped, his eyes widening as he tried to calm down the raging blush on his face. 

“Mukuro? I believe he’s still in his room. He’s hiding cause Hibari’s after him still for leaving him with the girls” Yamamoto answered, making Tsuna twirl to look at him. Her face wasn’t as panicked anymore, more determined. 

“Can one of you tell me how to get to his room? I need to talk to him!” Tsuna pleaded, seeing all of them look at each other. 

“To find Pineapple head, you go down that hallway, all the way to the end, then turn to the right. That’s his room” Gokudera answered, sounding rather reluctant. Tsuna beamed a smile at him, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Thank you Gokudera! Hold my brother off for me, will you?” Tsuna asked, letting go of his hand and running down the hallway he’d pointed her down. Gokudera looked puzzled, turning to Yamamoto before Giotto, Nana and Iemitsu burst into the room, looking around for Tsuna. They soon discovered what Tsuna had meant. 

Meanwhile Tsuna was running down hallway, reaching the end before turning to face the right. A large door stood between her and Mukuro. Mukuro was sitting on his bed, elbows propped on his knees and his chin propped on his joined hands. His brows were furrowed in thought, his mind wandering to the fight he’d been involved in earlier. Hearing footsteps running around nearby, he glanced up before seeing his door open, revealing Tsuna leaning against the doorframe, panting a little as she looked at him worriedly.

“Tsunayoshi?” Mukuro asked, blinking in surprise at seeing her there. Wasn’t she supposed to be resting? Tsuna stood upright, stepping into the room and walked to him. Mukuro stood abruptly from his bed, watching her walk to him. Tsuna wore a concerned expression on her face as she stopped before him. She was at least a foot and a bit shorter than him, and Mukuro would normally find that adorable, but the teasing would just have to wait. The situation was too serious for such jokes. 

“Mukuro… Are you okay?” Tsuna asked, making Mukuro’s eyes widen. Tsuna had just been through a ton, her body actually giving up because it was that tired, and here she was, worrying about him. Mukuro’s expression softened as he continued looking down at her. A small gentle smile formed on his face as he lifted a hand, placing it on her head.

“I’m fine Tsunayoshi, just a little tired. It’s been pretty hectic these past few days, hasn’t it?” Mukuro replied, chuckling as he ruffled her hair. Tsuna smiled gently, reaching up and taking his hand, pulling it down to hold it in her hands. Mukuro watched, his cheeks turning a tinge of pink. Tsuna held the hand tightly, her mind recapping all the things that happened in the vision. Her shoulders began trembling as she lowered her head, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Mukuro’s eyes widened as he felt drops of water hit his hand, feeling the trembling of Tsuna’s hands. Soft sobs escaped her, making Mukuro look at her sadly.

“W-What they did to you… I-It was horrible… I-I’ll never forgive them…” Tsuna whimpered, sniffing as more sobs escaped her. Mukuro watched her, studying her behavior. No one else had reacted like this when they found out about his past, why was she so different? Mukuro barely knew what to expect from her, she kept surprising him. They stood like that for a few seconds until Mukuro closed the distance between them, wrapping his spare arm around her and pulling her to him. Tsuna froze for a few seconds, finding herself up against his chest. She let go of his hand, feeling him pull it away and place it on her head. Mukuro held her tightly against his chest, running his hand through her hair gently. Tsuna felt the familiar sensation, closing her eyes as more tears fell down her face. 

“It’s alright Tsunayoshi… Just knowing that you will avenge me is enough to make happy. Thank you” Mukuro stated, soothing Tsuna as her shoulders trembled less. Tsuna gently gripped Mukuro’s shirt in her hands, letting out a small sigh as she relaxed. 

“You really are one of a kind Tsunayoshi… Thank you…” Mukuro whispered, seeing Tsuna look up at him. Tears still stained her face, making Mukuro remove the hand from her head, gently wiping the tears off her cheek. A small smile formed on her face before she looked up at him, blinking at his face. Her vision had caught sight of his red eye. Lifting her left hand, she raised it up near his face, pausing nearby it.

“Can I?” she asked, tilting her head a little. Mukuro watched her face, smiling as he realized he couldn’t say no to her. Letting her go, he sat down on his bed so Tsuna could see better. She walked to him, placing her left hand on his cheek, her thumb nearby his eye. She lifted her other hand, cupping his other cheek. Mukuro felt his cheeks burn a little. It was as if she were handling him like a delicate piece of China. Was it due to what she saw? Did she think he was breakable? He couldn’t focus on her face. He could feel it though, Tsuna’s vision and focus was solely on him and his eyes. 

“Mukuro… I can’t see your eye clearly if you keep darting it around” Tsuna stated, giggling a little as Mukuro pouted for a second. Sighing, he looked up at her, finding himself frozen as he stared directly into her brown eyes. Her large, brown eyes which were surrounded by beautiful long, black eye lashes, stared directly into his own eyes. Blinking, he saw her focusing intently. It was rather embarrassing, having her stare so intently at his eyes. It was as if she were staring into his soul. However, the same could be said for him. He was staring into her eyes so intently it was if he could see into her soul. There was pain in her eyes, it was hidden well, but he still managed to find it. 

“I thought so… There IS a kanji symbol on your eye… Is that from back then?” Tsuna asked, finally dropping her focus from his eyes. Mukuro relaxed, feeling the piercing gaze be lifted from him. She still had her hands on his cheeks, but she was looking at all of him now, not just his eyes.

“Yeah… My eyes used to both be blue… That bastard did experiments on me, most I can’t say because they’ll traumatize you, and ended up giving me some abilities. That’s what this red eyes allows me to do” Mukuro explained, smiling up at her. Despite the dark topic, Tsuna found herself smiling back at him. She was glad he was okay. Sitting down beside him, she let out a sigh. 

“Are you going to be at school tomorrow Mukuro?” Tsuna asked, turning to beam a smile at him. Mukuro raised a brow.

“Yes, why?” he asked, seeing her giggle a little.

“Well, I need some help with my Italian classes. Think we could meet in the library and work on my homework together sometime?” Tsuna asked, seeing Mukuro turn his head, looking away as he covered his mouth with his hand. She could see his cheeks turning pink. 

“I-I don’t see why not…?” Mukuro replied, seeing Tsuna jump up from the bed, twirling to face him.

“Alright! That settles it then! Come on, let’s go get some food. Dinner should be almost ready by now” Tsuna offered, holding out her hand to him. Mukuro looked at her hand, then looked up at her face. With a small smile, he accepted her hand, feeling her pull him up to his feet, or at least try. She was shorter and physically weaker than him, so it was funny to see her try to pull him up. Once he was on his feet, she began dragging him out the room. Mukuro was almost flung off his feet trying to catch up to her, but they eventually found themselves at the dining room. Tsuna let go of his hand as she looked at how everyone was. Giotto was sitting down on a chair, pouting to himself as Gokudera stood in front of him. Yamamoto stood nearby, Ryohei on the opposite side of him. Gokudera seemed to be telling this extravagant story of where Tsuna was, with Yamamoto and Ryohei putting in little bits where they could. From what Tsuna could tell, she’d apparently gone to India to go visit a family friend that had a family member pass away and she was on the private jet there that was safeguarded by a thousand guards. Nana and Iemitsu stood nearby Giotto, laughing to themselves. Nana and Chrome were the first to spot Tsuna.

“Ah, Tsuna! There you are!” Nana exclaimed, catching everyone’s attention as they all turned to see them. Tsuna lifted a hand, waving nervously.

“There you are Tsunayoshi. I assume you got to talk to Mukuro about what you wanted to earlier?” Giotto asked, standing from his seat and walking to her. Tsuna nodded, smiling as she saw a small smile form on Giotto’s face. 

“I think they’ll be fine now, don’t you honey?” Nana asked, turning to smile at Iemitsu. Iemitsu nodded, placing a hand on Nana’s shoulders. Tsuna jerked her head up, looking at them in disbelief.

“You’re leaving already?” Tsuna asked, stepping to them. Nana smiled sweetly at her, putting a hand on her head and gently ran her fingers through her hair.

“Tsuna honey, you’re getting along well with Giotto now. We’ll stay for a few more days, but we have to go get back to work” Nana explained, seeing a small smile form on Tsuna’s face, but it was forced. 

“Okay, I understand” Tsuna replied, earning a nod from both Nana and Iemitsu.

“Boss, dinner is ready to be served now. Where would you like to sit?” Gokudera asked, rushing to Tsuna’s side. Tsuna blinked, jumping back in shock from the speed of his arrival.

“U-Um… I-I guess here?” Tsuna asked, pointing to a seat at the table. Gokudera hurriedly pulled out the chair for her, making Tsuna’s cheeks flare up as she sat down, embarrassed as Gokudera pushed her chair in. Gokudera was about to declare a seat beside her when he suddenly gasped in shock. Hibari had claimed the seat at her right and Mukuro was seating himself to her left. Tsuna blinked, looking between the two of them in confusion. Hibari had practically appeared out of nowhere, so how had he appeared and claimed the seat so quickly? Mukuro was smirking at Tsuna gently, grabbing the large bottle of water off the table and offering to pour Tsuna a glass of water. Hibari was glaring at Mukuro, but kept his complaints to himself. Tsuna sighed, feeling herself being tugged between the glares of the two men on either side of her.


	11. Unleashing the Rain

**Response to reviews: Hey everyone! I really love all the reviews for this story. They bring a bright smile to my face and really, really encourage me to write more! I’m so glad everyone likes the story and I hope to continue writing more for you and receive even more support. All these tips and bits really help and the more people who like the story, the merrier.**

 

Tsunayoshi ran down the halls, panting heavily. Sweat trailed down her face as she turned the corner, running down the next hallway. Her breaths came out in small huffs and puffs as her eyes scanned the area desperately. She was late, and if she was caught by a certain person, she was as good as dead! She’d heard the rumours about him from the other girls in school, but she’d never experienced his wrath yet. But that didn’t mean she wanted that to change. Turning the next corner, she collided with something and fell backwards. Landing on her rear harshly, she let out a squeak. Bracing herself and rubbing her forehead, she whimpered in pain.

“What’re you not doing in class?” asked a male voice. Tsuna opened her eyes, looking up and gasping. It was the person who she wanted to see least! Hibari Kyoya stood before her, a stern look on his face.

“H-Hibari?! I-I’m lost… I can’t find my science class… You’d think after a week of being here I’d remember where it is…” Tsuna replied, her voice shaking. Hibari gave her a stern glare before beginning to move. Tsuna flinched, closing her eyes as she braced herself for a smack. But none came. 

“You gonna move or what?” asked Hibari, making Tsuna open her eyes and glance up. Hibari was squatting and offering her his hand. Blinking in shock, Tsuna didn’t know what to think. Here was the fabled mean, stern and disciplinary committee head who spared no one mercy, offering her his hand and forgiving her for not finding her class. Lifting a hand, she slipped her hand into his. Feeling him grip her hand tightly, he pulled her to her feet. 

“T-Thank you Hibari…” she thanked, smiling at him. Hibari huffed to himself, turning and beginning to walk away. Tsuna tilted her head in confusion. Hibari stopped, turning to glance back at her.

“You coming or not?” Hibari questioned, a small glare of annoyance on his face. Tsuna blinked, realizing what he was trying to do. 

“O-Oh! C-Coming!” she stuttered, her cheeks flaring as she jogged to him. Walking alongside Hibari, Tsuna opened her school bag and searched until she found a certain object. Sighing contently with a small smile, she ran her fingers over the black and orange fedora in her bag. She took the hat with her everywhere now, and wore it when she was outside. Whenever she was panicked, stressed or sad, all she had to do was run her fingers over it and feel relieved. Hibari looked at her out the corner of his eye, raising a brow in confusion.

“You love that fedora, don’t you?” he asked, deciding to bring up a conversation. Tsuna blinked, looking at him in confusion. After seeing Hibari look away so they weren’t making eye contact, she smiled gently, looking away.

“Yeah… It was Reborn’s… The same fedora he wore when he disappeared protecting me… I want to keep it with me in his honour” Tsuna answered, making Hibari look at her. She was different from any of the other girls in the school. He’d sensed that upon their first meeting, but now this had confirmed it. He had to admit, Reborn had done well training her. She was overflowing with raw power, but she still maintained a weak, timid appearance. She was powerful yet submissive, however she could become dominant if the situation arose. Seeing Tsuna close her bag and put it back over her shoulders, Hibari looked ahead at where they were going. Stopping in front of the class, he looked at the door.

“We’re here…” he stated, seeing Tsuna look up at him.

“Um… Just a question Hibari… But, how do all of you know where my classes are anyway?” Tsuna asked, tilting her head curiously. Hibari smirked at her, a soft chuckle escaping him for a second.

“We’re your guardians, it’s our job to know exactly where you are at all times” Hibari replied, letting out the chuckle sound as he turned, walking away. Tsuna stared, watching him leave as her cheeks became dusted with pink. Shaking her head to rid herself of her thoughts, she grabbed the door and entered. After apologizing profusely for losing her way, she was excused and allowed to sit down and join the class. Thankful that she wasn’t going to get punished, she took a seat beside Yamamoto. Gokudera was in a different science class so she couldn’t see him for that lesson. Yamamoto beamed her a smile.

“Yo Tsuna! Got lost again?” Yamamoto asked, as cheerful as ever. Tsuna sighed as she sat down, smiling weakly at him.

“Yeah… This school is so big… It’s hard to find all the rooms…” Tsuna replied, giggling a little as she grabbed her text books, waiting for the teacher to begin the lecture. 

“Psst, Tsuna. I forgot my text book, can I look over at yours?” Yamamoto whispered, nudging Tsuna with his elbow. Tsuna turned to face him, almost jumping back due to how close he was to her. Seeing the pleading look in his eyes, she sighed as she realized she couldn’t say no to him. Sliding her text book across, she placed it between them to share. Yamamoto did a little fist pump in triumph, flashing her his signature smile. 

“Thanks Tsuna” he thanked, chuckling a little. Tsuna couldn’t help but smile back. She froze though when she felt several aggressive glares at the back of her head. This had been going on for a while now. During her week of school here, she’d actually been going for two weeks, but she’d had to miss some days, this had become a regular occurrence. Turning slowly, she jumped at the sight of several girls in the class glaring at her. Gulping, she sighed to herself and returned back to the lecture. 

When lunchtime arrived, Tsuna stood and grabbed her school bag. Placing her books in her bag while avoiding crushing the fedora, she stepped out the science room. She was going to meet up with Kyoko, Haru and Chrome and watch Yamamoto’s practice out on the field. Yamamoto had come along in the morning and offered all four of them the chance to watch him play, which of course Haru and Kyoko had jumped at the chance. Yamamoto was actually quite popular in the school, especially for his baseball playing. He was well loved by the guys for being great at any sport he tried, and he was well loved by the girls for his charm and looks. So now she just had to find the girls so they could go watch Yamamoto play.

“Excuse me Tsunayoshi, may we have a word with you?” asked a female voice behind her. Tsuna froze, still not used to other people calling out to her. Turning, she felt her stomach flip to see several of the girls who had been glaring at her, now standing behind her. There were five of them, all glaring at her while wearing smiles on their faces. She didn’t really have much of a choice, did she? Sighing, she put her bag over her shoulders and turned to face them.

“Sure… Where would you like to go?” Tsuna asked, seeing the head girl smirk to herself.

“Follow me” she replied, walking past Tsuna and bumping her shoulder roughly into Tsuna’s. Tsuna let herself stumble, watching the head girl walk past. The other four stayed behind, waiting for Tsuna to follow so she couldn’t get away. Tsuna saw no point in resisting, beginning to follow after the main girl. 

Eventually they arrived at one of the back areas of the school yard. Looking around, Tsuna realized there wasn’t anyone around. These girls had done their research, picking the perfect spot to try and bully her. A hand suddenly colliding with the wall near her head made her snap up to see the head girl glaring at her, her face insanely close. Tsuna jumped back into the wall, blinking in shock. They could’ve at least given her a warning!

“Now, I’m only going to say this once Tsunayoshi, so listen carefully! Stay away from Yamamoto Takeshi and Gokudera Hayato! You show up and suddenly the two of them are hanging off you like glue! It doesn’t make any sense! Those two always had a best friend and enemy relationship, but now they’re both competing over you! What on earth did you do to get those two hanging for your every word and movement?” the head girl snapped, her expression one of jealousy and anger. A girl near her began giggling.

“I bet she offered them a ‘special service’ for their friendship! It wouldn’t surprise me if she did them at the same time, the slut!” one girl sneered, a grin on her face. The next girl began laughing.

“And she even has Sasagawa Ryohei, Mukuro Rokudo and Hibari Kyoya hanging off her too, she really must be a slut to have done them all at the same time!” the second girl sneered, giggling violently. Tsuna remained calm against the wall. None of what they were saying was true, so she had no reason to react. Repeating Reborn’s words through her head, she inhaled deeply and exhaled to calm herself. 

“Nothing to say you bitch!?” yelled the head girl, glaring spitefully. Tsuna relaxed her shoulders.

“You’re wrong. Nothing like that happened. My family situation makes it that I know all five of them, and that’s why they hang around me. There’s nothing like what you’re saying that happened. It’s all lies you’ve created to give yourself some comfort” Tsuna replied, her voice flat and calm. All five girls looked at each other in disbelief, before they all glared at Tsuna. The head girl suddenly grabbed a fist full of Tsuna’s hair, pulling it harshly. Tsuna felt the pain shoot through her head, making her yelp as she reached up to try and pull her hair loose. Her bullying at Namimori hadn’t involved hair pulling since she was in second grade, so she was unused to it. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes as she grit her teeth, trying not to let out another sound for them.

“You little bitch! You just had to go and open your goddamn mouth!” snapped the head girl. Tsuna couldn’t help it, she let out a small giggle.

“You’re the one who told me to say something. Make up your mind” she taunted, a small giggle escaping her before the head girl gripped her hair tighter. Tsuna inhaled sharply, wincing and letting out a hiss of pain. 

“You think you’re smart, do you!?” snapped the head girl, throwing Tsuna around by her hair a little before throwing her to the ground harshly. Tsuna felt herself collide with the ground harshly, wincing before looking up. Her bag had fallen off her shoulders and one of the girls had it now. She unzipped it, rummaging through it and tossing things to the ground.

“Let’s see what you have in here, you little skank” she teased, dropping her pencil case to the ground, then several of her text books. Tsuna froze, praying someone would come and stop this before they found the fedora. The head girl was kneeling on the ground and still had Tsuna’s hair tightly in her hand, making it difficult for Tsuna to move. 

“Something in there you don’t want us to see? Maybe something that proves how much of a slut you are?” teased the head girl, gripping her hair tighter. Tsuna winced, hissing again. She wasn’t going to give in, and they weren’t worth getting angry over. Her eyes widened however when the girl found the fedora, lifting it out for everyone to see. They looked at it in disgust, seeing the bullet hole in it.

“What on earth is that ugly thing? It’s hideous!” the head girl exclaimed. 

“Wait! That belonged to someone important to me! Please, I’m begging you, don’t wreck it!” Tsuna begged, feeling her shoulders shake. Oh no, she was breaking. And she’d been trying so hard too. The girl sneered, giggling.

“Someone special? Like, a boyfriend? Only an older man would wear this ugly thing. Wow, you were f*cking an older man? For shame!” the girl sneered, making Tsuna’s eyes snap wide to look at her. What did she just say…? The girl giggled, letting the fedora fall to the ground. Something in Tsuna seemed to snap then. They’d just badmouthed Reborn, the man who had raised her since she was ten. That was unforgiveable! In a matter of seconds, Tsuna had swung her arm back, hitting the head girl in the chin with her elbow. The head girl had fallen back, letting go of her hair in the process. Tsuna used that chance to jump up, swinging her arm up with her hand pulled back, hitting the girl that had dropped the fedora in the face with the lower palm of her hand. The girl let out a scream as she fell back, landing on her rear. Tsuna remained still, waiting for their next move. 

“You bitch!” called out the head girl, already rummaging through Tsuna’s pencil case. Her eyes widened as she saw her pull out a pair of scissors. Were they really thinking of doing this? Tsuna reached down, grabbing the fedora off the ground and dusted it a little. Placing it on her head, she turned to glare at the head girl. 

“Get her!” the head girl called out. The other three girls moved to try and grab her at once. Turning, Tsuna was about to hit them when a figure suddenly appeared, blocking her from them. Blinking, she looked up to see short, spiky black hair.

“Yamamoto?” Tsuna asked, seeing him turn to smile at her. 

“Yo Tsuna! Kyoko, Haru and Chrome were worried when you didn’t come to meet them, so I offered to go looking for you. Now, is there a problem here?” Yamamoto stated, his eyes turning dark into a stern glare. All the girls trembled, looking at him in shock.

“Y-Yamamoto? W-We were just trying to talk to her! She suddenly attacked us out of nowhere! We had no choice but to try and fight back!” stammered the head girl, sweat trailing down her face. Tsuna’s eyes widened as she shot the girl a glare. How dare she try and put this back on her! She was about to move forward to strike her again when Yamamoto put a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Yamamoto shake his head. He stepped in front of her, still giving the head girl a stern glare.

“Now that’s a lie… If there’s one thing I know about Tsuna, it’s that she’s not that kind of a woman! Now, this will be your only warning, stay away from Tsuna…” Yamamoto stated, his voice flat and cold compared to his usual bouncy tone. The girls all took off running, the head girl included. Tsuna knelt down, grabbing her bag and beginning to put her books back in. Letting out a sigh, she looked at the bag sadly. Guess bullies were everywhere. 

“Here you go Tsuna” Yamamoto suddenly said, making her look up at him, seeing her pencil case in his hand. He was beaming his smile at her, having gone back to his friendly self. Taking the pencil case from him with a smile, she stuffed it into her bag and was about to carry it with her when Yamamoto took it from her, swinging it over his shoulder. 

“Yamamoto? I can carry it…” Tsuna stated but Yamamoto put a hand on her shoulder, smiling.

“I know, but let me carry it for you” he offered, grinning before beginning to walk off. Tsuna watched him walk for a few seconds, blinking before she jogged after him, walking alongside him. 

“It just occurred to me Tsuna, but you don’t really know anything about me, do you?” Yamamoto stated, turning to look at her curiously. 

“Not really, no… What’s your family like?” Tsuna asked, tilting her head. 

“Well, my dad owns a sushi place! Real nice, best sushi in town! He also runs a dojo and teaches me kendo and sword fighting. I owe my old man everything, seen as he raised me alone…” Yamamoto stated, sounding happy before his voice trailed off. Tsuna looked at him, brows raised in concern. It wasn’t like Yamamoto to get sad. 

“Yamamoto… you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to…” Tsuna stated, seeing Yamamoto’s eyes widen, looking at her before he smiled, shaking his head.

“No, I want to tell this story. I haven’t told nearly anyone before… If someone should know, I think it’s you, considering you are my boss and everything” Yamamoto stated, continuing to walk. Tsuna stopped though, seeing him turn to look at her.

“Yamamoto… I don’t want you tell me because I’m your boss… I want me to tell you because I’m your friend…” Tsuna stated. Yamamoto froze, blinking before he looked down at the ground. Stepping closer to her, he stopped just in front of her. He was pretty tall, that was for sure. Tsuna opened her mouth to say something before she suddenly found something colliding into her. Eyes widening, she blinked as she felt arms wrapped around her shoulders, a head near her shoulder. Yamamoto was hugging her tightly, his face in her shoulder. 

“Y-Yamamoto?” she asked, unsure what to do. Yamamoto’s body was shaking and she could hear his shaky breathing. 

“Sorry… As popular as I may seem to be, I don’t actually have any friends… Besides Gokudera who always seems to hate me… You’re my first actual friend… So as your friend, I’ll tell you everything back at Vongola Castle, okay?” Yamamoto stated, feeling Tsuna’s hands slide up to his back. She began petting his back gently.

“But for just a few moments… let me stay like this… please?” Yamamoto asked, his voice breaking near the end. Tsuna had never seen this vulnerable side of Yamamoto before. He was always smiling, reassuring her that everything would be okay. He was the one that calmed everyone in the group down when things went wrong, or when a fight occurred, he was the peace keeper. 

“Of course Yamamoto…” Tsuna whispered back, one hand rising from his back to rest on top of his head. Yamamoto’s shakes seemed to calm down as Tsuna ran her fingers through his hair, copying the trick her brother did with her. Glad that it seemed to be doing the trick, she smiled. 

“Thanks Tsuna… I’m okay now…” Yamamoto stated, pulling away from the hug. Tsuna let him go, smiling gently at him. 

“I should hurry off to practice and you should find the girls. They’re worried about you” Yamamoto stated, turning and pointing to where the oval was. Pulling of Tsuna’s bag, he handed it to her. Tsuna accepted the bag, nodding as Yamamoto took off in a jog towards the oval. Smiling, she slung the bag over her shoulder and jogged after him. Scanning the oval, she soon spotted the girls huddled around, all sharing their lunches. Jogging to them, they all welcomed her, completely unaware of what had just happened.


	12. Secrets of Rain

Tsuna sighed, her chin propped up on her hand as she stared out the window during the last lecture of the day. It’d been a long day, and that was an understatement. First she’d been late for Science and gotten lost, then she’d had to deal with several bullies. Now she had to get through this lecture and get back to Vongola Castle. Yamamoto was hurting due to his own experiences, and Tsuna wanted to ease some of his pain if she could. What else were her guardians going through? She knew about Mukuro’s past… but what about the rest? What on earth had troubled Yamamoto so badly, and what were the others hiding from the world? What was the shadow hidden in Gokudera’s smile? Or Ryohei, Hibari or even Lambo? Such a small child, did he have a deep, dark secret that weighed on him? Everyone had been incredibly nice to her since she got there, it was about time she repaid that kindness. 

The bell ringing signaled the end of the day. Packing up her bag, she overheard some of the girls talking to each other by the window. 

“Hey, who’s that man out there waiting?”

“I don’t know, but he’s hot”

“Hey, doesn’t he look a lot like that girl Tsunayoshi?”

This piqued Tsuna’s interest as she stood, swinging the bag over her shoulder and walking to the window. Her eyes widened as she saw Giotto standing by the gate of the school, in a casual orange shirt, brown trench coat and grey jeans. It was the first time she’d seen him out of a suit, and she had to admit, the girls were right. Her brother was damn attractive, for his age anyway. Not that she was thinking anything wrong, she was just admitting that he was good looking. Shaking her head to rid herself of any thoughts, she rushed to her desk, grabbed the last thing and took off out the room. Turning into the hallway, she jogged to the stairs and began going down them as quick as she could. Jogging down the last bit of stairs, she was nearly at the end when someone bumped her shoulder as they ascended the stairs. Tsuna staggered, feeling herself falling forward. Letting out a gasp, she turned herself, somehow landing at the bottom of the stairs on her rear. 

“O-Ow…” she winced, pulling herself to her feet and wincing at the pain in her right ankle. Shit, she’d twisted it. She’d have to be careful on it for a while. Turning, she walked briskly out the school and reached Giotto who was leaning against the gate, looking at his watch. 

“Big Brother?” she asked, seeing his head snap up to look at her. A smile formed on his face as he pushed himself off the gate, walking to her.

“Tsunayoshi. How was school?” he asked, reaching her and putting a hand on her head. Tsuna couldn’t help but smile and giggle.

“It was okay. But what’re you doing here today?” Tsuna asked, looking at him curiously with her big brown eyes. Giotto chuckled, pulling out another brown trench coat from over his arm and offered it to her. Tsuna turned, stepping into the trench coat and felt Giotto pull it over her shoulders. 

“I was thinking we’d go for a walk through the town, spend some time together…” Giotto stated. Tsuna’s eyes widened as a large smile formed on her face. Nodding her head, Giotto smiled brightly and offered her his arm. Taking it, Tsuna let Giotto begin to lead her through the town. 

“Are you hungry?” Giotto asked, looking down at Tsuna who was smiling. She nodded her head, looking around at the sights. She normally didn’t get to see the sights much, except when she went out with the girls or more than one guardian, which was rare. Giotto stopped along the pavement, looking at a store across the road.

“There’s a meat bun place there. They do these cool things called pizza pockets. They’re a pizza that’s inside out as a bun. Would you like to try some?” Giotto offered. Tsuna looked at the place, blinking in confusion before nodding up at Giotto. He smiled back, leading them across the road. As they entered the store, Tsuna looked around in awe. The smell of pizza filled the room, making her realise how hungry she was. Giotto led her up to the front desk, grabbing one of the menus and held it in front of her. 

“What flavours do you like Tsunayoshi? I’ll point to the ones you might like and tell you what’s in them” Giotto stated. Tsuna thought to herself, swallowing back the saliva that had built up in her mouth from the smell of the food.

“Well… I don’t really like the other types of toppings, like olives and stuff… I like the sweeter stuff better… like pineapple…” Tsuna admitted, her chin in her hand as she thought. Giotto chuckled, looking down at the menu.

“I thought you’d be a pineapple girl. There’s a ham and pineapple pocket. It just has ham, pineapple, cheese and the sauce. Would you like that?” Giotto asked. Tsuna felt her mouth watering from the ingredients Giotto listed off. She nodded, still looking down at the menu. Giotto smirked, putting a hand on her head as he leaned down, his face near her hair.

“Tsunayoshi, you’re drooling” he whispered, making her gasp and quickly wipe her mouth with her hand. Her face was pure red in embarrassment. Giotto couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Tsuna turned to him, pouting. 

“Big brother!” she snapped, having realized he’d been joking. A man approached the counter, laughing to himself. 

“This your kid sister Giotto? She’s a cutie!” stated the man with a big, burly laugh. He had a pretty big build, and that was putting it nicely. But his smile was incredibly friendly. Giotto chuckled, his hand ruffling Tsuna’s hair. She pouted, trying to grab at his hand.

“Yep, she sure is. Tsunayoshi is so adorable I might not give her away to her future husband” Giotto gloated, smiling proudly as he wrapped his arms around Tsunayoshi, hugging her tightly from behind. Tsuna let out a yelp, dropping the menu to the table as her hands grabbed at Giotto’s arms. Now she was certain she was blushing.

“B-Big brother!” she exclaimed, her voice squeaking. Giotto chuckled, resting his chin on her head. She looked up at him, seeing the big grin on his face. 

“You letting her try pizza? You should take her to the Yamamoto sushi place as well!” the man stated, chuckling. Giotto nodded in agreement. Wait, Yamamoto sushi place? Was that the sushi place Yamamoto had been talking about?

“Is that the sushi place Yamamoto’s dad runs?” Tsuna spoke up, still being held in a death grip by Giotto. Giotto looked down at her, blinking in shock.

“He told you? Well that ruins the surprise… Also… best not to mention Yamamoto’s dad around him too much… It gets him down a bit…” Giotto warned, his smile fading as he looked down at her seriously. Tsuna blinked, looking up at him. Was this why Yamamoto almost broke earlier?

“Here you are Giotto, one for you, another for the cutie and a freebie for the cutie” the man stated, winking as he handed over two paper bags, one bigger than the other. Tsuna reached forward despite being held in the death grip, grabbing the bags and bringing them close to her. 

“T-Thank you sir…” Tsuna thanked, blushing lightly. She wasn’t used to being called cute so much, it was embarrassing. Giotto let her go, giving the man his money as he took the smaller bag, offering Tsuna his arm again. They reached the door before the man called out to them.

“Hey Giotto! You look after that cutie, you hear me? Don’t let no one hurt her!” the man warned, chuckling as he waved. Giotto waved back, smiling.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. See you later” Giotto stated, opening the door as they stepped out. Tsuna opened the bag, letting go of Giotto’s arm in the process and grabbed one of the buns. It was warm in her hand and soft. She was tempted to give it a squeeze, but thought that might not be the best idea. Bringing it to her mouth, the smell flew into her nostrils. Looking up, she saw Giotto biting into his, quite hungrily in fact. Tsuna looked back at hers, biting into it. The dough was soft and squishy and all she got was a mouthful of sauce and cheese. It was hot! Chewing while avoiding her gums and tongue, she quickly swallowed and let out a pant.

“Don’t like it?” Giotto asked, looking at her. Tsuna shook her head.

“Hot…” she said, inhaling and blowing on her bun. Giotto let out a chuckle, continuing to eat his. Eventually they made it to another store. Entering, Tsuna was hit by the smell of raw fish and sea weed. This was a familiar setting. Looking around, she saw Giotto was seated at the counter, already finished his bun. Tsuna blew into hers again, beginning to quickly devour it. Licking her thumb when she was done, she quickly closed the bag and rushed to sit beside Giotto. Tsuna’s stomach was doing flips. She was about to meet Yamamoto’s dad. What was he going to be like? Gripping the edge of the bag tightly in her hands, she waited anxiously as she heard a voice call out.

“Be there in a minute!” called out a gruff, male voice. Tsuna’s stomach did another flip. Any second now, any second and she’d get to see Yamamoto’s dad. 

“That’s alright Tsuyoshi! Take your time!” Giotto called out. Tsuna blinked, looking up at Giotto. Yamamoto’s dad was called Tsuyoshi? Just add in two letters and it’d made Tsunayoshi. After a minute, the curtains fluttered as Tsuna heard the clicking of some kind of machinery. Tsuna blinked, seeing a short man enter the room. 

“Yo Giotto! Hm? Who’s this? Is this the kid sister of yours Takeshi’s been telling me about?” Tsuyoshi asked, seeming to move really quickly behind the counter. 

“Yep, this is Tsunayoshi, my little sister. Finally back from Japan. Tsunayoshi, this is Tsuyoshi Yamamoto” Giotto explained. Tsuna bowed her head respectively.

“I-It’s a pleasure to meet you sir…” Tsuna greeted, looking up to see him smiling. 

“How’re you liking Italy Tsunayoshi? It’s difficult to get used to the different culture, isn’t it? I’m from Japan myself” Tsuyoshi stated, beaming her a grin. He moved quickly again behind the counter, getting some sushi ready. Giotto grabbed her shoulder, pulling her close to him.

“You’d best not mention Takeshi while you’re here Tsunayoshi…” Giotto warned, giving her a serious look. Tsuna blinked in shock. 

“Huh? Why?” Tsuna asked, tilting her head. Giotto shook his head.

“Just best not to… I’ll explain it when we’re out the store” Giotto whispered, smiling before letting her go. Tsuna pulled away, confused still. 

“Here you go, a sampler for the adorable little chicky!” Tsuyoshi stated, putting a small packet with a bunch of sushi samples in it before Tsuna. Tsuna blinked, looking down at it. She looked back up at Tsuyoshi, seeing the grin on his face.

“It’s on the house. If you like my sushi you’re welcome back as a customer anytime!” Tsuyoshi explained. Tsuna smiled gently, bowing her head again.

“Thank you so much sir…” Tsuna thanked, grabbing one of the samples and beginning to eat it. She hated to admit it, but the taste of the sushi suddenly made her realise how much she missed Japan. Her smile fell as she stared down at the sushi. Giotto watched her, concerned.

“Tsunayoshi?” he asked, putting his hand on her arm gently. Tsuna blinked, looking at him.

“Are you alright?” he asked, tilting his head. That must’ve been a shared trait they had, tilting their head when they were curious or concerned. Tsuna forced a smile.

“Yeah… I’m just a little homesick for Japan… that’s all…” Tsuna explained. Giotto’s eyes widened upon her words. He turned his head, pondering in thought. Tsuna quietly continued to eat the sushi. She couldn’t wrap her head around this situation. Why wasn’t she allowed to mention Yamamoto to Tsuyoshi? Better yet, why did Yamamoto live in Vongola Castle instead of here with his father? Also why did she keep hearing this clicking noise?

“Tsuyoshi! I’ll get a sushi family feast… Make that three orders of it, we’ve got a lot of mouths to feed” Giotto ordered, pulling out his wallet. Tsuna nearly choked on her sushi, looking at him in disbelief. They were going to have sushi for dinner? Was this because she was homesick? A small smile formed on her face. Giotto was thinking about her constantly, and that made her incredibly happy. 

“Three sushi family feasts coming up!” Tsuyoshi called out, beginning to head to the back. He stopped though and turned to look back at Tsuna.

“Would you like to come round back and take a look Tsunayoshi?” Tsuyoshi offered, beaming her a grin. Tsuna perked up, nodding with a big smile on her face. She jumped from her seat and rushed to the door, entering the back area. She rushed to catch up to Tsuyoshi before she froze. Her eyes widened as she realized why Tsuyoshi was moving around so quickly and why she kept hearing a clicking noise. Tsuyoshi was zooming around the sushi join in a wheelchair. 

“A-A wheelchair?” Tsuna whispered under her breath. Tsuyoshi turned to look at her, spotting the shocked look on her face.

“Ah, the wheelchair? Yeah… I lost my ability to walk several years ago in an accident. I was hit by a bus. If my wife was alive today she’d be hitting me with a rolled up newspaper” Tsuyoshi explained, still grinning. Tsuna blinked, stepping further into the room.

“So that’s why Yamamoto was so upset…” Tsuna stated under her breath. Tsuyoshi raised a brow in confusion before letting out a laugh.

“Oh, you mean Takeshi? How is the kid anyway? Tell him to visit me more often for kendo lessons! Kinda strange how we have the same last name though… I mean, no one in my family has a son called Takeshi” Tsuyoshi said, thinking to himself. Tsuna gasped, feeling her stomach drop. A painful feeling began to appear in her chest and stomach. No, she couldn’t break here! She gulped, swallowing down the lump in her throat as she forced a smile. She helped Tsuyoshi make the sushi, laughing at all the jokes Tsuyoshi made. Stepping out, she carried the feast packs over to where Giotto was. Putting them down, she let out a loud sigh. 

“She’s got talent Giotto! Better be careful, I might snatch her to make sushi for me one day” Tsuyoshi taunted, grinning. Giotto chuckled, handing Tsuyoshi the money. Tsuna rushed forward, grabbing the bag with the other pizza pocket. She handed it forward to Tsuyoshi.

“Here. I was given this by the pizza guy, but I’d like you to have it sir” Tsuna stated, seeing Tsuyoshi blink at it before accepting it with a smile.

“Thanks Tsunayoshi. In my condition I don’t get to go round there often. I appreciate it!” Tsuyoshi thanked, waving goodbye to them as Tsuna and Giotto exited the store. Giotto was carrying two of the sushi feasts and Tsuna was carrying the third one. They walked in silence for a little before Tsuna brought up the conversation.

“Poor Yamamoto… His own father doesn’t remember him…” Tsuna stated, her voice hollow. Giotto looked at her, watching her before looking ahead at where they were going.

“It was Takeshi that caused the accident… It’s nowhere near his fault… but Takeshi blames himself. He’d been running back home after playing a huge baseball game… Tsuyoshi was chasing after him. It was their little ‘game’, they’d race back home to see who’d make the celebratory sushi for winning the game. Takeshi ran out onto the road without looking. Tsuyoshi, being the great father he was, grabbed Takeshi and threw him out the way, getting hit by the bus himself. He was in hospital, in a coma for several months. I was friends with Tsuyoshi since we were younger, so I took in Takeshi as a favor to him until he awoke. But when he did, he had severe damage to his brain and couldn’t recall anything about his son. He didn’t even know he had one. We, both Takeshi and I, agreed it’d be best for him to live in Vongola Castle until Tsuyoshi remembers, but it doesn’t look like he’ll ever remember…” Giotto explained. Tsuna felt her shoulders trembling. Poor Yamamoto. To go through the pain of the accident, believing he was the cause of the said accident, and then having his dad become a paraplegic and forget about his existence, it was more than one person should bare. 

“Save your tears… Takeshi needs them more than I do…” Giotto stated, continuing to walk ahead. Tsuna looked up at him, jogging a few steps to catch up. 

When they finally arrived back at Vongola Castle, Tsuna put the sushi tray down, looking around for Yamamoto. Hearing the door nearby open, Tsuna twirled around to see both Gokudera and Yamamoto enter the dining hall.

“Boss! You’re back!” Gokudera exclaimed, a smile on his face. Yamamoto was still looking a little down, but he had his smile on his face.

“Yo Tsuna!” he stated. Tsuna looked at him for a few seconds, feeling the tears well in her eyes. She grit her teeth, her shoulders shaking before she charged towards them in a sprint. She tackled Yamamoto, wrapping her arms around him tightly as she sobbed into his chest.

“Yamamoto! I’m so, so sorry!” she sobbed, wailing into his chest. Yamamoto looked down at her in confusion, but wrapped his arms around her trembling form. Gokudera had exclaimed loudly in shock, looking at the scene in horror.

“Ack! What did you do to the Boss baseball idiot!?” Gokudera exclaimed, growling. Giotto walked into the room, smiling sadly as he carried the other two sushi trays, placing them on the table. Yamamoto looked up at him, gasping as he saw the sushi trays.

“Giotto! You took her to see my old man!?” he questioned, more shocked than angry. Gokudera blinked, immediately shutting up before looking down at Tsuna sadly as she clung to Yamamoto. 

“Yeah… She knows everything… I thought it’d be easier than you trying to explain everything” Giotto explained, walking to them. 

“I’m so sorry Yamamoto! I… I couldn’t imagine it…! If Mum and Dad ever forgot me…! Or Giotto..! Or any of you…! I couldn’t take it…!” Tsuna wailed, apologizing constantly as Yamamoto lifted a hand, gently petting her head. Tsuna looked up at him, seeing his own eyes were shaking, brimming with tears.

“I try to be strong… But I’m actually really weak… It hurts Tsuna…” Yamamoto explained, his voice cracking as his hand that was wrapped around her gripped her trench coat tightly. 

“Takeshi… You don’t have to be strong… You’re allowed to cry” Giotto stated, looking at the three of them sadly. Yamamoto let out a low chuckle.

“But I’m a boy… I can’t cry or show sadness… I have to be strong…” Yamamoto retorted. Gokudera growled.

“Idiot! Who the f*ck said that!? Boys can cry too! And you even get to cry on the Boss! Take this chance while you can!” Gokudera exclaimed, glaring at Yamamoto. Tsuna swore she could see him almost tearing up too. That’s right, he knew about this, didn’t he? He really cared about Yamamoto if this was affecting him too. Yamamoto blinked at Gokudera in shock before the tears began falling down his cheeks. Tsuna reached her arms up, wrapping them over his shoulders as she pulled him down, hugging him properly and resting his face in her shoulder and hair. Yamamoto froze for a second before he buried his face in her hair, arms wrapping around her. He trembled as silent tears fell down his face.

“Sorry Tsuna… Can I… stay like this for a little?” Yamamoto asked, his voice trembling. Tsuna could help but smile through her tears.

“Of course… You can stay like this for as long as you like…” she whispered back, running her hands through his hair and petting his back gently.


	13. Storm's Sister

Tsuna woke up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Sitting up, she pushed off the heavy blanket and stepped out of bed. Walking to the mirror, she smiled at the fedora which was resting on the cabinet. 

“Morning Reborn… Another long day, eh? Yeah, I know… I should get some breakfast and go out for a jog, or else I’ll get slack” Tsuna stated, sighing at the hat. She smiled at it, gently running her fingers over the fedora, then grabbed her hair brush and began brushing through her hair. She knew the top half was untamable, but the bottom half was filled with knots that she needed to get out. After having untangled her hair, she stepped out the room and began walking to the dining hall. When she stepped in, she paused at what she saw. There was a large, purple cake sitting on the table. Raising a brow, she walked to it, inspecting it curiously. Who the heck had made this cake? Better yet, whose birthday was it and why wasn’t she informed? Tsuna eyed the cake from all angles, smiling. It was a really pretty shade of purple. The door behind her opened and Tsuna jumped up, turning around to see Gokudera standing there. He smiled upon seeing her before his eyes fell to the cake in front of her. His eyes widened as he ran to Tsuna, grabbing her shoulders roughly.

“Boss! You didn’t eat anything on that cake, did you!?” he exclaimed, shaking her a little. He looked more distraught than angry.

“W-What? I didn’t touch it! Is this your cake or something Gokudera?” Tsuna asked. Gokudera let her go, sighing in relief. 

“Thank goodness! If you’d eaten that cake…!” Gokudera stated, about to continue when a voice cut him off.

“There you are Hayato. It’s been too long” greeted a female voice from behind Tsuna. Both Tsuna and Gokudera looked to see a woman with long, mauve hair enter the room. Gokudera tensed upon seeing her, suddenly looking like he was in pain. The woman stopped upon seeing them, her eyes landing on Tsuna.

“So, this is your boss Hayato? The fabled little Princess of the Vongola family?” the woman asked, her voice sounding almost venomous. Tsuna flinched, backing away. This woman’s gaze was piercing. Gokudera stepped in front of Tsuna almost protectively, his face grit in pain. Tsuna looked at him in concern before realizing he had a hand over his stomach. Was he not feeling well?

“S-Sis…” Gokudera muttered, his voice hoarse. Tsuna looked at the woman before Gokudera’s words registered. She gasped, looking between the two of them in disbelief.

“Y-You two are siblings!?” Tsuna exclaimed, looking at the two of them. The only resemblance she could faintly see might’ve been their eye colour, it was pretty similar. 

“Boss, sorry for not telling you sooner… But this is my older sister, Bianchi…” Gokudera explained, looking between the two of them. Tsuna glanced at Gokudera, brows raised in concern. Was he okay?

“Gokudera? You alright?” Tsuna asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. If he wasn’t well, she wanted him to go rest.

“I-I’m okay… M-My sister is known as the Poison Scorpion… Everything she makes and touches turns into poison cooking… She made that cake…” Gokudera explained. Tsuna gasped, looking at the cake in disbelief. But it looked so pretty! Was he saying it was poisonous? How was that ability even possible? Yet again, she could randomly set her head on fire, so who was she to talk?

“That’s right. When Hayato was younger, I used to make cookies for him. He loved them so much he ate them before every piano recital!” Bianchi stated. Gokudera winced, clutching his stomach more. 

“S-Sorry Boss… My father forced me to… And now I get sick… every time I see her…” Gokudera whispered, collapsing to his knees. Tsuna gasped, grabbing his arms and attempting to pull him up.

“Come on Gokudera! You should go lay down…!” Tsuna exclaimed, beginning to panic. She wasn’t strong enough to carry Gokudera back to his room. Gokudera winced in pain, attempting to keep himself upright. He looked up at Tsuna, giving her a weak, reassuring smile. 

“Honestly Hayato, you’re always so happy to see me!” Bianchi exclaimed, a hand on her cheek as she blushed in happiness. Tsuna looked at her in disbelief. Had she not heard a word of what Gokudera just said? Nope, she was off in her own little world. Tsuna looked down at Gokudera, kneeling and slipping his arm over her shoulders. Standing, she began helping him walk down the hallway towards his room. When she began nearing his room, a nearby door opened and Tsuna saw Yamamoto exit his room. 

“Hm? Oh, hello Tsuna! What’s wrong with Gokudera?” Yamamoto asked, beaming a smile at her before looking at Gokudera worriedly.

“B-Bianchi…” Gokudera whispered. Yamamoto blinked before it registered.

“Oh, your sister’s here? I’ll have to go say hi when I get the chance. Tsuna? Want me to take Gokudera?” Yamamoto offered, grabbing Gokudera’s other arm and slinging it over his shoulder. Suddenly all the weight had been lifted off Tsuna’s shoulders as she stared at Yamamoto in shock. He really was strong despite his scrawny appearance. She flashed him a smile, nodding her head.

“Thanks Yamamoto. Just make sure he gets some rest, okay?” Tsuna asked, seeing Yamamoto nod his head.

“Gotcha!” Yamamoto replied, chuckling as he carried Gokudera back to his room. 

“So you’re close to both of them?” stated a female voice behind Tsuna, making her squeak as she turned around in fright. Oh, it was just Bianchi. She let out a shaky sigh, a hand near her heart to calm down her raging heartbeat. 

“Y-You scared me…” Tsuna whimpered, before smiling at Bianchi. She had to admit, she was curious about what stories Bianchi had about Gokudera. Gokudera didn’t really talk much about himself, so she was curious to know more about him. Bianchi stood there, observing her with a small frown.

“Hey Bianchi? I was just curious, but do you have any stories you might be able to tell me about Gokudera?” Tsuna asked, turning to look at her. Bianchi’s eyes widened upon her request.

“You mean Hayato hasn’t told you anything?” Bianchi questioned, raising a brow. Tsuna shook her head.

“No, I didn’t even know he had a sister till I met you just a moment ago… And I’m not really looking for any deep, dark secrets or anything like that… I just want to know about what he was like as a child, that kind of stuff. Was he always that violent and foul mouthed? Or was there a time when he was an adorable child that never said a bad word about anyone? That kind of stuff…” Tsuna asked, looking down at the ground with a small, soft smile. She tried imagining Gokudera as a child, in a little suit and looking shy. It was an adorable image, but it just didn’t suit the image she had of Gokudera now. Bianchi smiled to herself a little, walking to Tsuna and putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve got some lovely stories to tell you. Come along with me, we’ll go get you dressed out of your pajamas and head somewhere we can talk in private” Bianchi stated. Tsuna looked up at her, blinking in confusion. Why did they need to leave Vongola Castle? Couldn’t they just talk here?

“Why go somewhere? What’s wrong with Vongola Castle?” Tsuna asked, tilting her head. Bianchi beamed a bright smile at her.

“Too many ears listening here” she responded, petting Tsuna’s head in her hand as they approached Tsuna’s room. Tsuna opened the door to her room as Bianchi stepped into the room. She looked around in awe before sitting down on the bed. Tsuna shut her door, heading to the dresser as she picked out the clothes she was going to wear.

“Where are we going exactly?” Tsuna asked, turning to glance at Bianchi. Bianchi giggled a little, still smiling. 

“We’re going to the shopping centre. Might do a little clothes shopping while we’re there” Bianchi answered. Tsuna nodded, searching for her comfy clothes. Pulling out her grey hoodie, she grabbed a white T-shirt, a turquoise shirt and her black leggings. Bianchi shuffled on the bed, looking at her clothing choice.

“Cute. You know how to make eyes turn, that’s for sure” Bianchi complimented. Tsuna’s face began burning in embarrassment. 

“It wasn’t on purpose, I can assure you that… I just like these cause they’re comfy” Tsuna replied, taking off her nightgown and reaching for her underwear to change. Bianchi whistled, making her freeze as she turned to see why Bianchi was whistling. A smirk was on her face as she giggled lightly.

“You look like such a stick but you actually have a pretty big rack for your size. Impressive” Bianchi complimented, giggling more.

“B-Bianchi!” Tsuna squeaked, blushing even more. She was sure she could put a tomato to shame now. Turning quickly, she began getting dressed. Once she was done, she turned to see Bianchi frown in disappointment. She stood from the bed and walked to Tsuna. 

“Bianchi? Is something wrong?” Tsuna asked, tilting her head before Bianchi grabbed the bottom of her hoodie and pulled it down a little. She frowned even more.

“You wear such baggy stuff it hides your body shape… That’s it, when we get to the centre we are buying you some sexy clothing!” Bianchi retorted. Tsuna exclaimed her shock and confusion loudly, looking at Bianchi in disbelief. She had to wear sexy clothing now? Bianchi beamed a smile at her before freezing suddenly. Tsuna raised a brow, wondering what had startled her so much. Turning to where Bianchi was looking, she saw her dresser with her hair brush, cosmetics that she rarely used, and Reborn’s black and orange fedora. What could’ve shocked her so much? Bianchi stepped to the dresser, reaching out shaky hands as she grabbed the fedora, lifting it up to view it better.

“Reborn…” she whimpered, her shoulders shaking. Tsuna raised a brow, stepping closer to Bianchi.

“You knew Reborn?” she asked, seeing tears beginning to fall down Bianchi’s face. Bianchi nodded her head, turning to glance at Tsuna a little.

“You’re the girl he was training for the last six years, right?” Bianchi asked. Tsuna nodded, looking down at the ground.

“I miss Reborn… But he died protecting me from whoever was after me… All they found was his fedora…” Tsuna stated, her shoulders shaking as well as she tried to compose herself. Bianchi’s face remained hidden as there was a little silence between them. 

“You’re wrong…” Bianchi suddenly said in a cold, dead voice. Tsuna blinked, looking at her in confusion. She was wrong? About what? Bianchi suddenly dropped the hat back down onto the dresser and turned, her hands landing around Tsuna’s throat as she looked at her with a distraught look.

“You’re wrong! Reborn is not dead! I’d know if he was! Reborn is my one true love! There’s no way he’d die and I wouldn’t know! And he was protecting you!? What were you to him!?” Bianchi suddenly snapped, her eyes wide and darting around to focus on Tsuna. Tsuna gasped, gagging a little as her hands reached up to try and grab at Bianchi’s. She couldn’t breathe! Gokudera’s older sister Bianchi was standing here, strangling her.

“B-Bianchi…!” Tsuna gagged, shaking as she tried to pry Bianchi’s hands from her neck. The grip tightened as she saw the desperate look in Bianchi’s eyes. Sudden flashes of images entered her mind as she gasped, her eyes widening. She saw flashes of images of Bianchi standing alongside Reborn. Reborn held a gun in his hand as Bianchi held a tray of food in her hand. They turned, running at some enemies with smiles on their faces. Another image had Reborn and Bianchi sitting in the car, watching a sunset together. Bianchi was resting her head on Reborn’s shoulder, smiling while watching the sunset. Tsuna gasped as she realized the situation now. Bianchi’s feelings and emotions had poured into her, allowing her to understand.

“I understand… H-How you feel…” Tsuna whispered, her voice hoarse as she felt Bianchi’s grip loosen. Bianchi was blinking at her in disbelief.

“You actually… understand?” Bianchi questioned, blinking more. Tsuna could breathe again, so she smiled gently at Bianchi. Letting go of Bianchi’s hands, she lowered them to her sides and gave Bianchi an understanding smile as some tears began to fall from her eyes.

“I miss him too… I know what it’s like to have loved and loss… I didn’t love Reborn the same way you do though… He was more like an older brother or father to me…” Tsuna stated, more tears falling down her eyes. Bianchi blinked, pulling her hands away from Tsuna’s neck as she looked at her in shock. More tears began falling down her face, both of them crying their eyes out.

“But he’s not dead… I know he’s not…” Bianchi muttered, making Tsuna look up at her with a small smile.

“I know… I think so too…” Tsuna replied, stepping forward to Bianchi and pulling her into a small hug. Bianchi froze before she petted Tsuna’s head gently.

“You’re a good kid… Reborn raised you well…” Bianchi whispered, pulling Tsuna back and flashing her a smile. She walked to the bed, sitting down as she fetched a handkerchief from her pocket. Wiping her own face, she handed it to Tsuna.

“Here. Wipe your face and we’ll find something to cover your neck…” Bianchi stated. Tsuna accepted the handkerchief, wiping her own face and flashing a smile at Bianchi. Bianchi watched Tsuna’s actions, seeing her search her clothes for a scarf. Standing, Bianchi walked to her and wrapped the scarf around her neck.

“Hey kid… Sorry about strangling you back there… Think we can put it behind us?” Bianchi asked, tilting her head a little. Tsuna flashed her a smile.

“Yeah, it’s okay. You were out of it… By the way, it’s not ‘kid’, it’s Tsunayoshi. Tsunayoshi Sawada” Tsuna replied. Bianchi flashed her a grin, ruffling her hair in her hand.

“Very well Tsuna, let’s go shopping, my treat!” Bianchi exclaimed, grinning as she grabbed Tsuna’s hand and began pulling her behind her. Tsuna jogged after her as they ran out the hallway and towards the exit to Vongola Castle. As they jogged to the exit, one of the doors opened and Tsuna saw Giotto step out into the hallway. When he saw the two of them running, he quickly jumped against the wall to avoid getting run over. He blinked when he realized one of the people was Tsuna.

“Tsunayoshi?” he asked, seeing them run past. Tsuna turned to look back at him, waving a hand.

“I’m going out with Bianchi for a bit! See you when I get back!” Tsuna called out, not seeing Giotto’s face pale at the mention of Bianchi. He shuddered to himself, waving back before stepping out into the dining hall. 

Finally reaching the exit to Vongola Castle, Bianchi and Tsuna stepped outside, observing the sight of the bustling, busy Italian morning. A hand landed on Tsuna’s shoulder as she turned, seeing Bianchi beam a smile at her.

“Let’s get moving, shall we?” Bianchi asked, making Tsuna nod in return. They began walking across the road to where the busy shopping centre was located. Tsuna was getting butterflies in her stomach. She was going to go clothes shopping with someone who’d just tried to strangle her, but she understood why it happened. It’d been a little like when Daemon had tested her, however Bianchi had been acting on pure emotion. It wasn’t her fault, she just snapped. Now that Tsuna understood her better, she could forgive her. But she was also nervous to find out what kind of things Gokudera had done as a child.


	14. Burning Battles

Tsuna suddenly found herself at several different clothing shops, trying on everything from sexy lingerie to really tight clothing that revealed her figure. Even her night gown now was sexy and questionable. Sighing, Tsuna felt exhausted. 

“Another one” Bianchi stated as she stopped in front of Tsuna, beaming a smile as she held a black, tight cocktail dress with a really low V neck. Tsuna sighed again.

“Alright, but after that can we find some normal clothes too? It’s hard to move in these ones…” Tsuna asked, taking the black dress. Bianchi smirked back at her.

“That’s the whole point of the slit in the side. You can fight in them and distract your enemy at the same time” Bianchi stated, winking. Tsuna’s cheeks flared before she quickly darted back into her dressing room. Looking at herself in the mirror, she sighed. Being dressed in only her underwear at the moment, she slipped into the dress, zipping up the low back and pulling out the hair that was caught. Turning to look at herself in the mirror, she let out a soft gasp. Was this really her? Tsuna didn’t want to admit it, but she looked ‘damn fine’ in her opinion. Blinking, she didn’t even realise the curtain opened as Bianchi stepped in, admiring her work.

“It suits you. We’re definitely getting that one. Let’s get some make up on and your hair done, find some shoes and you can wear that home. Let’s see the boys’ heads turn” Bianchi stated to herself, hand under her chin. She then giggled hysterically.

“I can’t wait to see Giotto’s reaction, it’ll be hilarious!” Bianchi exclaimed, cackling loudly. Tsuna turned to Bianchi, imagining Giotto’s reaction. His face had paled considerably and he was exclaiming about how his baby sister wasn’t a baby anymore. Tsuna couldn’t help but burst into giggles as well. Nodding, she agreed to Bianchi’s plan. Bianchi pumped her fist in the air before petting Tsuna’s head.

“Wait here, I’ll go get some shoes that will suit it” Bianchi stated, dashing out the room. Tsuna looked back at herself in the mirror, trying to picture the other guys and their reactions. Yamamoto probably would think she was someone else… Mukuro would… on second thoughts, maybe not… Mukuro was kinda scary to imagine… Ryohei would probably get all pumped and say she looked pretty… Gokudera would most likely faint… Hibari probably wouldn’t even notice… and Lambo would most likely bury his face in the V neck. Tsuna couldn’t help but sigh to herself. What was she getting herself into…? The curtain ruffled and Tsuna turned to see Bianchi standing there with some black, high heeled pumps in her hand. She put them on the ground, getting Tsuna to sit as she put them on her feet.

“You’ve even got cute, small feet… You’re gonna look like a sophisticated, confident young woman when I’m done with you” Bianchi stated, observing Tsuna’s foot before putting it in the shoe. Tsuna couldn’t help but blush madly. 

“I-I don’t know about that… I’m hardly ‘young woman’ material…” Tsuna scoffed, turning to look away as Bianchi put on the shoes. Bianchi glanced up at her before smiling softly.

“You may think that… but you don’t even know what you’ve done in the small time you’ve been in Italy… Hayato’s changed since you came… He used to always frown and was always angry, but since you came here, he’s making expressions and saying things I never dreamed he’d ever say. He’s happier, he’s finally made a friend who accepts him without making his temper explode. I’m glad to see him so happy. He deserves to finally find a small piece of happiness in his life” Bianchi explained, smiling sadly down at the ground as Tsuna glanced at her curiously. Just what had Gokudera been through to cause these expressions on Bianchi?

“Bianchi… You really care about Gokudera, don’t you?” Tsuna asked, sitting properly and reaching her hands down to grasp Bianchi’s. Bianchi looked up at, seeing the gentle smile on her face. Bianchi smiled back, nodding her head.

“That’s correct. Hayato is very special to me. He’s my baby brother… even if we don’t share the same mother” Bianchi explained, making Tsuna’s eyes widen in shock. She hadn’t been expecting that one. Gokudera and Bianchi were only half siblings? Bianchi giggled at her reaction, standing and gently ruffling Tsuna’s hair. 

“It’s a long story. Let’s get these and go to a good smoothie store I know. I’ll tell you the story there” Bianchi stated, winking at Tsuna who was still struggling to swallow the concept of them being half siblings. Is that why there seemed to be some tension between the two of them? Following after Bianchi, they exited the dressing rooms and walked to the counter. Tsuna was having some difficulty in the black pumps, but once she got the hang of them, walking became a breeze. Once they got out the store, Bianchi began pulling her excitedly to the smoothie store. Tsuna felt like she was the guy in the relationship, being dragged around by the excited girlfriend who wanted to go on a shopping spree, but everything was being bought and spent for her, not Bianchi. Was this Bianchi’s form of an apology? Once she sat down, Bianchi returned in a few minutes with two smoothies. 

“Hope you don’t mind strawberry… I forgot to ask before I went to the counter” Bianchi apologized, blinking when the huge smile formed on Tsuna’s face. She loved strawberry, it was like, her favourite flavor. 

“I love strawberry!” Tsuna exclaimed, gladly taking the smoothie and bringing the straw to her mouth. Taking a sip, she froze, blinking at the smoothie in shock. She had had smoothies in the past, but this one… was absolutely delicious! She’d never tasted something so good in her life! Her shock slowly turned to pure awe as she began drinking quickly, pulling away quickly and holding her forehead as a bad brain freeze began pulsing from her forehead.

“O-Ow…” Tsuna winced, hearing Bianchi laugh to herself. She took a sip of her own smoothie, smirking at Tsuna who was still holding her forehead.

“Was it that good?” Bianchi teased, but Tsuna was either that dense she didn’t get the joke, or had just ignored her probing. She beamed a happy smile, nodding her head.

“Yep! I’ve never tasted a smoothie this good! The ones in Japan are okay… but damn, this is fantastic! You weren’t kidding!” Tsuna explained, smiling down at her smoothie in her hand. Bianchi blinked, smiling gently as she watched Tsuna. She could see the appeal that Gokudera must’ve seen in Tsuna. She was pretty, cute, had her flaws, but was incredibly kind and forgiving, thinking of others before herself. If Bianchi had to pick someone she wanted Gokudera to settle down with, she couldn’t think of anyone other than Tsuna. 

“Tsuna…” Bianchi stated, catching Tsuna’s attention as she looked up at her. Bianchi’s smile faded as her expression turned serious. 

“I owe you a story, don’t I? I’ll tell you about Hayato and myself… You see, Hayato and I are half siblings, we only share our father. Hayato’s mother was our father’s mistress” Bianchi explained. Tsuna’s eyes widened in shock upon her words. Gokudera was technically a ‘bastard child’? Was that why he acted like the world always looked down upon him?

“Her name was Lavina… She was only allowed to see Gokudera three days every year. Father fell in love with her during a piano performance. She was a very skilled piano performer and eventually fell in love with her, resulting in an affair. Hayato was born as the result, however, due to the mafia law, Hayato was taken away from her and he was classed at the legal child between Father and my mother, his legal wife. She never let Hayato know she was his birth mother when she saw him, and she always supported his piano playing. She was just a ‘tutor’ to him” Bianchi continued to explain. Tsuna didn’t like all this past tense, it was beginning to make her stomach twist into a painful knot. Bianchi smiled sadly, looking away from the table.

“Hayato actually inherited her looks, the silver hair and almost green eyes. I remember seeing her occasionally. However, when Hayato was three, she was on her way to see him to celebrate his birthday. Her car fell off the road at an impossible place and she died instantly. Hayato didn’t discover she was his mother until he was eight and overheard some maids talking about her. He began to get the wrong idea and thought that father had her killed. He ran away, rejecting us all and turned out the way he is now. Giotto took him in, which I’m very thankful for. He seems happier here, but I just wish he’d come home once in a while and find out the true story” Bianchi finished explaining, smiling sadly up at Tsuna. Tsuna tried to process what she’d just been told. Gokudera had been lied to for most of his life. No wonder he didn’t trust hardly anyone now and tried to push others away from him. Tsuna suddenly felt like she could connect all the dots, as if she’d gone through an epiphany. Tsuna looked down at her smoothie sadly. Now that she knew all this about Gokudera, how was she going to bring this conversation up without making things worse? This was a touchy subject, so she had to tread lightly or else she might set off a landmine. 

“Tsuna?” asked a female voice behind Tsuna, making her gasp and turn to see Kyoko, Haru and Chrome all standing behind her, glancing at her curiously. Their eyes widened upon seeing the dress Tsuna was in.

“Tsuna? I didn’t know you wore stuff like that” Haru exclaimed, a faint blush on her cheeks. Chrome nodded her head to Tsuna, a small smile on her face.

“You look pretty Tsuna...” Chrome whispered. Kyoko nodded in agreement, beaming a huge smile at her. Tsuna giggled a little before turning to look at Bianchi. She saw Bianchi nod before turning to look back at the girls.

“Kyoko, Haru, Chrome. This is Bianchi, she’s Gokudera’s sister. Bianchi, these are my friends, Kyoko, Haru and Chrome” Tsuna introduced. Bianchi looked up at the girls, smiling as she nodded a greeting to them. The girls nodded as well, bowing in greeting. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I took Tsuna clothes shopping today. All her clothes were so baggy and boyish, so I thought I’d spice up her wardrobe a little” Bianchi stated. Haru let out a small squeal, nodding her head desperately.

“You did a good job Bianchi! Tsuna looks so gorgeous, I might open a new door that should remain closed!” Haru exclaimed, cupping her cheeks in her hands as she blushed. Tsuna raised a brow in confusion, unsure what she meant or what she was implying. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know…

“It’s true that Tsuna looks pretty, but Tsuna looks pretty in anything she wears” Kyoko said, making Tsuna’s cheeks flare up. She still wasn’t used to so many compliments. Chrome cleared her throat, earning silence from everyone as they looked at her to let her speak.

“Um… The boyish clothes are more Tsuna’s style though…” Chrome whispered, earning small giggles from Haru and Kyoko. They nodded their heads in agreement. Tsuna felt a warm smile forming on her face as she looked at Chrome. Chrome barely spoke, but when she did, it always mattered. Tsuna was so grateful to have such great friends. Just as Tsuna was about to let her guard down, her eyes suddenly widened as she felt an aggressive presence. It seemed like Bianchi had sensed it too, both of them jumping to their feet quickly as they tackled the three girls down as the store nearby the dining area suddenly exploded in a burst of fire and heat. Tsuna could feel the heat behind her. It was burning. Looking up, small bits of debris fell off her as she stared at the store which was now burning brilliantly. How many people had been in there when it exploded? How many people were dead? Tsuna’s chest tightened painfully, making it difficult to breathe. High pitched laughter filled the room and Tsuna slowly turned, seeing a woman standing there. Her bright, rose quartz hair flying around in the air madly with the flames and winds. Her eyes were a beautiful ocean blue, however they were twisted in madness. She was cackling madly as the flames danced around her. She began walking towards them, giggling insanely. 

“Tsuna!” called out Bianchi, making Tsuna turn to look at her. She had all three girls beside her. They were all cowering and shaking in fear. 

“Bianchi! Look after the girls!” Tsuna yelled back over the roar of the flames and the screams of the people. Bianchi’s eyes widened in shock, seeing Tsuna stand to her feet. They only had a small amount of time before things got worse, and if they breathed in too much smoke, they could die. Yet Tsuna was planning on fighting? The lady laughed, raising a hand and the flames began to circle around her arm as if they were waves of air swirling around her. Tsuna gasped silently, backing away a step.   
“I’ll get the girls out of here! Can you handle her?” Bianchi yelled over the roar of the flames. Tsuna turned, giving a stern nod as Bianchi nodded back, grabbing all three of the girls and running with them to the exit. Tsuna returned her attention back to their attacker just in time to see a burst of flames heading for her. She let out a small yelp, jumping out of the way in time. Rolling on the ground, she jumped to her hands and knees, glaring at their attacker.

“Really? THIS is the Princess of the Vongola family? What a letdown!” she exclaimed, cackling madly. Tsuna couldn’t help but growl. How dare she say such things! Standing up suddenly, Tsuna felt a burst of heat sprout from her forehead. Her hands felt hot as well. Looking down, Tsuna saw her hands lit in pure golden flames. She could only assume her forehead was doing the same thing. The lady had stopped laughing, looking at Tsuna in shock.

“W-What!? H-How can you have Dying Will Mode!? Giotto should be the only one to have the power!” she yelled, glaring dangerously at Tsuna. Tsuna kept her resolve, seeing the lady preparing another attack. Tsuna closed her eyes to relax, putting one hand behind her, letting flames pour out of that hand. The hand in front was glowing brilliantly, slowly increasing in power.

“I WON’T LET YOU!!” the lady screamed at the top of her lungs, sending a huge wave of flames crashing in Tsuna’s direction. Tsuna’s eyes snapped open, sending her front hand back before shooting it forward. The flames shot forward like a single shot, zooming straight at the lady and cutting through her attack in one spot. When it broke through, the shot zoomed at the lady and pierced straight through her torso and out her back. She let out a blood curdling scream of agony as the life faded from her eyes. Tsuna didn’t even have time to watch her fall. Her attack that had killed the lady had shot through to the tank against the wall, which Tsuna could only assume was some kind of generator. She turned, bolting for the window. Putting both hands behind her, she shot out flames and propelled herself forward like a bullet, shooting through the glass as the generator exploded, sending a bomb of flames crashing through all the windows and knocking Tsuna off balance. Her flames disappeared as she struggled to keep control, spiraling to the ground from the second story in the mall. She could hear screams of the people and sirens from the emergency services. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for impact with the ground but it never came. Opening her eyes, she saw pretty blue flames around her as she was gently lowered to the ground. Upon sitting down, she looked around to see Yamamoto and Gokudera there. 

“Yamamoto! Gokudera!” Tsuna exclaimed, standing on her shaky feet. Both boys had run to her, shocked and out of breath.

“Boss! Are you alright!?” Gokudera called out, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her gently. Tsuna could feel the world spinning, but she just smiled reassuringly. 

“I’m alright Gokudera… Was that you that saved me Yamamoto?” Tsuna asked, turning to see Yamamoto looking at her in shock. His cheeks were a little pink in colour as he looked away awkwardly. Tilting her head, Tsuna looked at him in confusion.

“Yamamoto? You too Gokudera?” Tsuna asked, having turned and seen Gokudera looking the same. Why were they acting like this? Gasping in realization, Tsuna looked down at her black dress to see the V neck was even longer now, all the way to her naval. The explosion must’ve ripped her dress a bit! Blushing furiously, Tsuna crossed her arms over her chest in a vain attempt to cover herself. Squatting, Tsuna covered what couldn’t be covered with her knees. Closing her eyes and wishing the world would hurry and swallow her, she looked up in a small gasp as she felt something be lowered over her shoulders. Turning, she saw Gokudera smiling gently at her, putting his jacket over her shoulders to help her cover up. Smiling back gratefully, she pulled the jacket over herself and stood back up again. All three of them turned to look at the burning building, seeing all the customers outside in a panic and the emergency service people rushing in to stop the fire. 

“What do we do about that?” Tsuna asked, hearing Yamamoto chuckle a little.

“Not sure… I think Giotto will be able to sort this out better than us, don’t you think?” Yamamoto asked, beaming a warm smile at Tsuna. Tsuna smiled back, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah… By the way… What happened to Bianchi and the girls?” Tsuna asked, looking around with signs of them. Yamamoto grinned at her as Gokudera flinched at the mention of her name.

“She took the girls back home. They were scared and in shock. You entrusted her to look after them, so she’s taking her job seriously” Yamamoto replied, putting a hand on Tsuna’s head and ruffling her hair. Tsuna giggled slightly, turning to look at Gokudera. He still looked pissed off at the mention of Bianchi’s name. This was going to be a long process that would take some effort from everyone’s part. But in time, the bond between Bianchi and Gokudera could be fixed. It’d just take time.


	15. Dusty Memories

**Sorry about the big delay in this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it. If you're wondering about the song, it's 'Jillian by Within Temptation'.**

"Boss? Are you sure you want to explore Vongola Castle? It's so big, you won't remember it all in one sitting, and most of the rooms are boring…" Gokudera asked, walking alongside Tsuna as both they, Yamamoto, Mukuro, Hibari, Ryohei and Lambo all walked down the hallway of Vongola Castle. Tsuna looked around, still in awe at the majesty of her home. She really lived in a castle, it was unbelievable! It was like something out of a fairytale. Turning to look at Gokudera, she flashed him a smile.

"Well, say the worst was the happen and we were attacked, how would I know where to go in case of an emergency? Big Brother's so busy I rarely have time to ask him for things like tours, and his guardians are always so busy too. Seen as we have a day off, I thought we could all go out and explore the castle, do some bonding as a team!" Tsuna explained. Gokudera immediately shut up, blushing a little as he looked away. Yamamoto chuckled to himself, smiling brightly.

"Good idea Tsuna! We could all use a team building exercise!" Yamamoto agreed, earning a small huff from Hibari in the back. He was glaring daggers at Mukuro who walked nearby him in the hallway. Tsuna couldn't help but giggle nervously. Would they be able to last the day without killing each other? They seemed okay when she was with them, but she'd heard what they were like when she wasn't around. They could get so violent that rooms ended up trashed. Sudden high pitched laughter caught her attention though as Tsuna looked down to see Lambo laughing proudly in her arms. She'd been carrying him the whole way because he was just so tiny he would've been left behind. She still didn't quite understand how Lambo was a guardian of hers, it seemed more like she was his guardian, rather than the other way around.

"Lambo spots a mysterious door!" Lambo declared, jumping from Tsuna's arms as she stopped, gasping in shock. Lambo landed on his feet, running to the door he was talking about. Tsuna's eyes widened, picking up her feet as she ran after him.

"Lambo! Wait up!" she called out, chasing after the baby cow. Lambo laughed loudly to himself, reaching the door and jumping up to grab the door handle. He jiggled it violently, trying to get it to open, but had no such luck as he dropped to his feet, pouting. Tsuna had finally reached him as she knelt beside him.

"Do you want to check out this room Lambo?" she asked, seeing Lambo turn to look at her, pouting.

"Lambo wants to see… But the stupid door won't open…" Lambo whined, tears forming in his eyes. The footsteps of her guardians behind her alerted Tsuna of their arrival.

"Don't cry Lambo! We'll get that door down to the extreme!" Ryohei encouraged him, pumping his hands into fists. Tsuna smiled at him, giggling a little before she smiled reassuringly down at Lambo. The pout vanished as a bright smile formed on his face. He cheered, jumping around on the ground in a bouncing heap. Laughing, Tsuna stood and grabbed the handle, jiggling it a little. Frowning, she glared at the door before pushing on the door harshly, then pulled the door with all her might, finally giving up after a few seconds. Looking at it in exasperation, she sighed.

"Wow, its stuck fast…" she muttered, hearing chuckles from her guardians behind her. Turning to glare at them, she returned to glaring at the door. Stepping back, she braced herself and charged at the door, smashing her shoulder and back into the door. A large crunch sound alerted her of the lock breaking before the door swung open and she fell to the ground with a yelp. Lambo cheered loudly, running into the room and jumping on Tsuna's lap.

"Yay! Big Sis Tsuna! You opened it!" he cheered, smiling brightly before jumping off her lap and running around the room excitedly. Tsuna giggled a little, turning to watch him run around. Standing up and dusting herself off, she noticed the room was very dank and cluttered. Looked a bit like a storage room, or something someone had used to seal up a lot of memories. It looked like a lot were boxes, but some looked like paintings that had been covered with cloths. Tsuna had to admit her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"We broke open the door for a room of dust and boxes?" Mukuro asked, not really amused with their discovery. Hibari huffed at him, still glaring daggers into the side of his head. Ryohei let out a yell which made Tsuna squeak and twirl to look at him in fright.

"Extreme discovery!" Ryohei shouted, pumping his fists and charging into the room and began looking through the boxes. Tsuna blinked, watching in a dumb stupor before laughing.

"Kyaah!" screamed out Lambo as he jumped out of the way of a falling box that Ryohei knocked, jumping up and clinging onto Tsuna's arm.

"This place looks like it's been sealed up for several years at least… I wonder what we'll find in here" Yamamoto stated, stepping into the room and standing beside Tsuna. Tsuna smiled at him, glad that he was at least excited by their discovery. Smiling in determination, she rolled up her sleeves.

"Alright! Let's see if we can find something cool!" Tsuna declared, walking to another set of boxes and began prying it open. Lambo climbed up from her arm and sat on her head, watching curiously. Searching through some trinkets and items, she paused at the huge pile of photos that lay in the box. Blinking, she picked up a few and flicked through them. Her eyes widened upon recognition.

"Mother… Father…" she stated, making the whole room suddenly fall silent as all eyes shot to her. They saw her kneeling on the ground, staring at several photos blankly.

"Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked, walking to her and squatting by her. He blinked in shock at the small tears falling down her cheeks.

"Big Sis Tsuna? Why are you sad?" Lambo asked, leaning over the top of her head to look at her. Tsuna glanced up at him, letting him jump off her head and sit on her lap instead. She forced on a smile, petting Lambo on the head with her spare hand.

"I'm okay Lambo… Yamamoto…" she reassured them, wiping at her tears before smiling sadly down at Lambo.

"See these two here in the photo Lambo? That's my mother and father. They're not here anymore… They left when I was little" Tsuna explained, pointing at her parents in the photo. Lambo looked at the photo before looking back at Tsuna.

"Should we really continue digging through painful memories that should remain buried?" Hibari suddenly announced, stepping forward from his spot in the corner. All eyes went on him, shocked that he'd even spoken up. Yamamoto stood, backing away as he saw Hibari walk towards Tsuna and kneel in front of her. Tsuna blinked, looking up at him in confusion.

"I don't understand…" she whispered, seeing Hibari sigh to himself.

"I'm asking you if you really want to find more stuff like these photos and make yourself cry. None of us like seeing you cry Tsunayoshi…" Hibari explained, making Tsuna's eyes widen in shock as she felt her cheeks burn a little. Did Hibari just say he didn't like seeing her cry in the most subtle way possible? Blinking in a dumb stupor again, she quickly shook herself back to reality, smiling at him reassuringly.

"I'll be okay Hibari… I want to know more about them… Big Brother hasn't told me much about them, so I want to discover myself…" Tsuna reassured him, seeing Hibari's face soften as he moved back.

"Very well…" he responded, backing away and standing again. The commotion returned as everyone began searching through things. Ryohei's sudden announcement though caught everyone's attention as he lifted his discovery into the air.

"Look! I found an extreme cassette tape!" Ryohei declared, turning and walking to Tsuna, putting it in her hands. Tsuna looked at Ryohei, seeing the smile on his face as he nodded, then looked down at the cassette in her hands. What would be on it?

"A cassette? Wait right here Boss, I'll be back with a cassette player!" Gokudera declared, dashing out the room. Tsuna blinked, looking at the door before looking back at the cassette. Lambo looked at it curiously, tilting his head.

"Big Sis Tsuna, what's a cass-ket…?" Lambo asked, earning a small giggle from Tsuna.

"Cassette, not casket… It's a little tape you can record music and sound on. It was used before CDs were made" Tsuna explained, making Lambo blink in shock.

"Wow, it's old!" Lambo declared, pointing at the cassette and laughing. Tsuna couldn't help but giggle as well.

"It could be interesting to see what's on there… I wonder if it's a love poem from your father to your mother by any chance." Mukuro teased, smirking as he chuckled a little.

"Ooh, maybe it's their wedding vows?" Yamamoto chipped in, grinning to himself. Hibari huffed, back in his corner as he glared at Mukuro again, drilling holes in the back of his head. Tsuna turned over the cassette, seeing the date on it was written before her date of birth.

"Extreme! Maybe it's a recording of the night your father proposed?" Ryohei announced. Tsuna smiled at all of them, glad they were being so supportive. Loud footsteps caught their attention as Gokudera arrived, rushing to Tsuna with the cassette player. Placing it down on the ground, Gokudera operated it and put the cassette in while Tsuna grabbed the headphones, placing them on her head. Lambo looked at her curiously. Gokudera waited for Tsuna to nod her head, then nervously pressed the 'play' button. Tsuna held the headphones against her ears as she waited in silence before music began to play softly in the background.

"It's music…" Tsuna announced, earning a sigh from everyone before a voice began to sing. Tsuna's eyes widened in shock, looking down at the cassette. She knew this voice. She hadn't heard it in years, but she'd recognize this kind voice that sounded like bell chimes. It was her mother's voice singing to the music.

_'I've been dreaming for so long, to find a meaning, to understand. The secret of life, why am I here, to try again?'_

"It's my mother… She's singing…" Tsuna announced, seeing all the worried looks on their faces from having seen her tense up in shock at the voice. They looked at each other, unsure what to think.

_'Will I always, will you always, see the truth, when it stares you in the face? Will I ever, will I never free myself, by breaking these chains?'_

Tsuna had to admit, her mother could sing really well. But there was something familiar about this song. She'd heard it before, but she couldn't recall where or when.

_'I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul. I'd turn it back, it's my fault. Your destiny is forlorn, have to live till it's undone. I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul. I'd turn it back, and then at last, I'll be on my way'_

"Tsuna's really quiet… Should we try and stop her?" Yamamoto asked, looking at Gokudera in concern. Gokudera looked just as worried, seeing the blank stare on Tsuna's voice as she focused so hard on the voice.

_'I've been living for so long, many seasons have passed me by. I've seen kingdoms through ages, rise and fall, I've seen it all'_

"You can see it, can't you? She's treasuring this, that's why she's concentrating so hard… She has barely any memories of her mother and father, so to actually have a recording of her voice, it's like a sparkling jewel to her…" Mukuro explained, putting a hand on Yamamoto's shoulder as he shook his head. There was no reason to stop Tsuna from listening to the cassette.

_'I've seen the horror, I've seen the wonders, happening just in front of my eyes. Will I ever, Will I never free myself by making it right?'_

"I guess if I had no memories of my parents I'd treasure that stuff too…" Yamamoto replied, looking down at Tsuna sadly.

_'I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul. I'd turn it back, it's my fault. Your destiny is forlorn, have to live till it's undone. I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul. I'd turn it back, and then at last, I'll be on my way'_

Tsuna felt her heart squeezing painfully as the memories stirred in her mind, being resurfaced from the song. But the next words made her freeze up in horror.

_'Tsunayoshi, our dream ended long ago. All our stories, and all our glory, I held so dear. We won't be together forever and ever, no more tears. I'll always be here, until the end...'_

Why had her mother suddenly said her name? This was done before she was born, right? That's what the date on the cassette had said, so what did this mean? Everyone gasped, having seen the fearful look on her face.

_'Tsunayoshi, no more tears... Tsunayoshi, no more tears...'_

Tsuna felt like she couldn't breathe properly. She was pretty sure she was beginning to hyperventilate, looking ahead at nothing in horror and fright. What did this all mean? Why was her mother saying her name in a song she'd written way before Tsuna was even born or conceived? It made no sense!

_'I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul. I'd turn it back, it's my fault. Your destiny is forlorn, have to live till it's undone. I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul. I'd turn it back, and then at last, I'll be on my way'_

Upon the end of the song, so many things were swirling through Tsuna's mind and her head felt like it was about to explode. Hearing the click of the end of the song, Tsuna's eyes were wide and looked like dots.

"Big Sis Tsuna?" Lambo asked, getting a little freaked out from seeing Tsuna so terrified. Tsuna ripped the headphones off her head, jumping up to her feet and looking at the cassette player in fright.

"Tsunayoshi?! Tsuna!? Boss!?" all of the guardians called out, looking at her worriedly. Tsuna was definitely hyperventilating, looking around the room, her eyes darting about. She jumped back, knocking down an item behind her. Jumping and turning to look at it, her eyes widened to painful sizes to see a portrait of her mother, father, a thirteen year old Giotto and herself as a three year old, all sitting down and smiling happily. Her vision was focused on the part with her mother, questions swirling in her mind. Just who was her mother? How did she know about and dedicate something to Tsunayoshi before she was even born? What kind of abilities did her mother have? **_What_** was her mother?

_**You want to know Tsunayoshi? Then I'll show you** _

Tsuna gasped, freezing to the spot as she heard the voice in her head, then felt a splitting pain in her head as she clutched her head in her hands, throwing her head back in a yell. She could hear her guardians making a fuss around her before Tsuna collapsed to her knees and elbows, still clutching her head in her hands. Her forehead was against the ground, her teeth grit tightly and tears forming in her eyes. Her head was going to split into two at this rate! Suddenly her vision blacked out and she felt her body slacken on the ground.


	16. Ginevra's decision

The door suddenly burst open as Giotto stormed into the room, an angry frown coating his face. Stepping to the bed, he looked down at the body of his younger sister which had been put on the medical bed. All seven guardians stood around the bed, looking down sadly. 

“What happened exactly?” Giotto demanded, seeing Gokudera and Yamamoto flinch. Hibari was standing against the wall, hands across his chest as he looked at the window. Mukuro was standing nearby the door, Ryohei standing nearby him. Gokudera and Yamamoto stood on either side of the bed and Lambo was standing on the foot of the bed, looking at Tsuna worriedly. 

“We went exploring Vongola Castle sir…” Yamamoto began, his voice almost hollow as he looked at the sleeping figure of Tsuna sadly. Tsuna’s brows were furrowed in pain and sweat coated her face. The doctor, Asari Ugetsu who was another of Giotto’s guardians, had checked her over and concluded that Tsuna had developed a raging fever and appeared to be suffering from a migraine. Her blood pressure had risen dramatically and her pulse was going rapidly. Asari had announced that if Tsuna’s condition didn’t improve in the next few hours then her life would be in danger. 

“And we discovered a room with sealed up photos and items from the previous Vongola…” Gokudera continued, making Giotto’s eyes widen in shock. They’d discovered that room? Well, he did seal it up years ago, long before they even joined the family, so it wasn’t a surprise that they’d discovered it. 

“And we found this… It made Tsuna’s eyes go big and she suddenly started screaming…” Lambo finished, lifting up the cassette to Giotto. Giotto raised a brow, not remembering putting such a thing in the room. Taking it from Lambo, he looked at the date. It was dated way before Tsuna’s date of birth, so why had it affected her in such a way? Was it a form of hypnotism that the enemy had set up to get Tsuna?

“She said that it was her mother on the recording” Ryohei stated, making Giotto’s eyes as he turned to look at him in shock. Their mother’s voice was on this cassette? Well, that ruled out the enemy. 

“I see… I’ll inspect what’s on the tape, tell Asari to keep an eye on her condition… This could be bad. We need to lower all her vitals because they’re going into overdrive. If this continues her body will most likely give out” Giotto stated, looking at his little sister worriedly. Stepping to the head of the bed, he reached out and gently caressed Tsuna’s cheek as if she were made from fine china. Looking at her with sad eyes, Giotto leaned down slowly, planting a kiss on Tsuna’s forehead. Pulling away, he looked at her in concern. 

“Stay strong Tsunayoshi…” he whispered, standing back and turning, leaving the room with brisk steps. The other guardians watched him leave before their eyes trailed back to the boss. 

“Big Sis Tsuna… Please wake up…” Lambo pleaded, jumping from where Tsuna’s feet were and waddled up to where her hand was. Waddling a little further, he snuggled up near her chest and arm, listening the sound of her rapid heartbeat as he closed his eyes. Gokudera was going to tell him off for perving on Tsuna, but he saw the tears falling down Lambo’s eyes and stopped. How could he tell a small five year old off when he was just trying to cope? He felt ashamed for having ever gone to tell the poor child off. 

“Tsuna’s gotta come out of this okay… She’s just gotta…” Yamamoto whispered, clenching his hands into tight fists. Gokudera looked at him, blinking sadly at seeing this effect Yamamoto in such a way. He hadn’t been this down since the accident with his father. 

\--

Tsuna felt like she was floating around in space. Where was she? What had happened? Looking around, everything was blurred around her. 

“You wanna know what happened that fateful day?” asked the voice that had spoken to her in her head. Tsuna’s eyes widened as she looked around for the source. Where were they?

“Hello? Who are you? Where am I?” Tsuna asked, turning around and looking everywhere around her. The voice remained silent, but the background began morphing into a scene. Tsuna’s eyes widened when she realized where she was. She was inside Vongola Castle, but a room she had never seen before. It was decorated in pictures of flowers, rainbows and fairies all across the walls. A cot sat across the wall, followed with a changing table, several cupboards and dressers and a large rocking chair. She was in a nursery. Sudden screaming made her jump as she looked to the cot, peering over the edge and gasping. A baby was wrapped up in a blanket, but this baby had her identical brown hair. Even back then it was uncontrollable. Hearing footsteps, Tsuna panicked as she looked for a way out of the room. She was unable to though as the door opened and Tsuna’s eyes widened in shock to see a woman with long, waist length hair enter the room. She had Tsuna’s brown hair and the most beautiful golden orange eyes. 

“M-Mother?” she asked, but the lady continued walking towards her. Suddenly she walked through her, causing Tsuna to freeze in terror. It took a few seconds for her to realize she wasn’t real in this world, she was just re-living a memory. Turning, she saw her mother scoop up baby Tsuna into her arms and cradle her gently in her arms, a kind and gentle smile on her face. She began to sing a quiet lullaby which Tsuna immediately recognized as the song from the cassette. So this is where she’d heard it before! Watching her mother sit on the chair and begin rocking, Tsuna saw that the baby her had begun to fall asleep. Tsuna couldn’t help but smile while watching the scene. She had to admit she was a pretty cute baby. 

“I’m sorry Tsunayoshi… If only there was a way to avoid your fate… But if there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s to never change the future I see, or a worse future will happen…” her mother apologized, standing up and walking back to the cot. Placing the baby back in the cot, she smiled gently and set up the music box to play a soft melody before turning out the lights and walking to the door. Turning to look back into the room, she smiled gently and exited the room. Tsuna looked from the door back to the cot. 

“How did Mother know? What did she mean by the future she sees? Could Mother see the future?” Tsuna asked, awaiting the voice to begin speaking. It took a few seconds, but the voice soon answered her question.

“Ginevra Vongola, wife to the head of the Vongola family, Ieyasu Vongola, had the rare ability to see glimpses into the future. Even with the abilities of the Vongola and the guardians, the gift of sight was rare. But she realized this gift was more a curse than a present. As a child, she saw things and tried to change them, only to have worse consequences happen. She learnt not to change the future, as what was to happen was meant to happen for a reason” the voice explained. Tsuna’s eyes widened at the explanation, looking back at the door again. So her mother’s name was Ginevra, it was a very pretty name to suit her, she was absolutely beautiful. Suddenly the scene morphed again as Tsuna was suddenly stuck to the spot. She tried to move her feet, but they refused to budge. Looking ahead, she saw two chairs facing each other. On the chair that was facing her, her mother sat there, looking ahead calmly but sternly. On the chair facing away from her, she could see the legs of someone, but she couldn’t make anything out about them. All she could tell was that they weren’t an adult yet. 

“I’m sorry, but I cannot accept… I am a married woman with two children, one of them your age… I’m terribly sorry” Ginevra apologized, catching Tsuna’s attention as she looked at the scene with wide eyes. The person she was talking to was Giotto’s age?

“Mummy!” called out a high pitched voice and Tsuna felt a presence run through her, looking down to see a little toddler her running up to Ginevra and clutch her dress. She tugged at the hem of it, looking up at her.

“Up! Up!” Tsuna asked, earning a smile from Ginevra as she picked her up, lifting her up onto her lap as she returned her attention to the person.

“So, you won’t accept just because I’m younger? So what if there’s a huge age gap, I love you! You’re absolutely beautiful, and if anyone should stand at my side when I control the entire Italy, it should be the most beautiful woman in the world! You!” yelled the voice, making Tsuna jump in fright. It was a boy, she could tell that much for sure. Ginevra remained poised, sighing to try and calm the situation.

“I’m sorry child, but I cannot condone such behavior. I am in love with my husband, and I will not betray him. You may be Giotto’s friend, but I must tell you to back off from me. I am not good for you, distance yourself please” Ginevra stated, making the boy stand up and begin to shout. Tsuna gasped, seeing nothing but a head of white, spiky hair. 

“Fine! Screw you then! You’re just gonna be treated like a lowly dog, just like everyone else! I tell you now Ginevra, I will rule all of Italy one day, and soon I will have you begging at my feet, pleading to be by my side!” the boy shouted. Ginevra remained calm, which seemed to be calming Tsuna down as she whimpered and clung to Ginevra, shaking in fear. Ginevra raised a hand, stroking it through Tsuna’s hair gently. Meanwhile Tsuna who was frozen to the spot suddenly got a shiver down her spine when the boy remained silent for a few seconds. What was he thinking?

“It’s that pest, isn’t it? The little brat is what’s stopping you from coming with me, isn’t it?” asked the boy, making Tsuna’s eyes widen. He didn’t mean…?! Ginevra’s eyes narrowed as she appeared to be getting angry.

“No, I explained my reasons before… Now I request you to leave before I call the guards” Ginevra commanded, making the boy huff to himself, turning and stomping off to the door. Tsuna watched in terror, hearing the door suddenly slam as she flinched. 

“Mummy?” asked the little Tsuna, catching Tsuna’s attention as she looked at the scene again. Ginevra was frozen to the spot, eyes wide and blank, and her expression void. Little Tsuna tilted her head, lifting a hand and tapping at Ginevra’s cheek. Ginevra suddenly snapped back into her body as she looked down at Tsuna in what looked like shock. Standing suddenly while holding little Tsuna in her arms, she began pacing. Stopping, she hugged Tsuna tightly in her arms, a tear trickling down her face.

“Ginevra had a vision of the future, and came to a decision at that moment. What she witnessed wasn’t her own death, but the death of someone else” narrated the voice before the scene suddenly changed again. Tsuna was really starting to get a headache now, a really bad one. Clutching at her head, she winced in pain.

“M-My head is killing…” she whispered, earning silence from the voice.

“You cannot stay very long, much longer and your body will fail and you will perish… But there is one more scene to see. Please, stay strong” pleaded the voice in a calm tone. Tsuna nodded her head, lowering her hand. Once the scene had finished morphing, Tsuna saw a familiar hallway. It was the one from her nightmare when she’d slept for the first time in Vongola Castle. Four people were walking the hallway. One was Ieyasu Vongola, dressed in a white suit and black cloak. He had bright, spiked blonde hair and Tsuna’s brown eyes. Ginevra was walking behind him in her dark blue dress and holding the hand of little Tsuna, who was in a frilly little pink dress. She was beaming brightly, skipping alongside Ginevra. A thirteen year old Giotto was walking behind them, looking around in boredom. 

“Oh no…” Tsuna muttered, suddenly hearing the countdown of the beats of her heart. She saw Ginevra glance out the window, eyes widening before she let out a shout. Ieyasu turned, looking shocked and determined at the same time as he ran to them. Ginevra scooped up Tsuna in her arms as Ieyasu stood in front of her, making himself a shield as he faced the window. The sound was deafening as gunshots suddenly blasted through the window. Tsuna gasped in horror as red blood sprayed everywhere and she saw the bodies of both Ginevra and Ieyasu collapse to the ground, and little Tsuna slowly crawled out from under Ginevra and began to shake her, pleading her to wake up. Giotto was shouting to both Ginevra and Ieyasu, pleading for them to wake up, then began screaming for help. A cry filled the air though as she saw herself look at Ginevra in distraught.

“MUMMY!!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs as Tsuna couldn’t take it anymore. She let out a cry at the top of her lungs, clutching her head tightly in her hands. Collapsing to her knees, she felt the scenery morph again back into a blurred nothingness. Her head was killing her, it felt like it was going to split open. A figure began to morph in front of Tsuna and she looked up weakly through one eye. She gasped to see herself standing there, but a flame was burning brightly on her forehead. Her eyes were also narrow and she looked incredibly calm. 

“Tsuna… Ginevra Vongola and Ieyasu Vongola gave up their lives to change your fate. You were destined to die that day, however they decided that your fate was worth changing. Now you have to return back to your body… It won’t last much longer…” the other Tsuna stated, kneeling down and helping to lift Tsuna back up onto her feet.

“W-Who are you?” Tsuna asked, still clutching her head. The other her smiled gently, showing a little of Ginevra’s features in her face.

“I am you, the you who takes over when you enter Dying Will Mode. To make it easy you can just call me Hyper. I can access all your memories in your brain, so I was able to show you all these scenes. But you must return now. We can talk another time” Hyper stated, letting Tsuna go as she stepped back. Tsuna’s eyes widened as Hyper suddenly began to blur and fade away. The scenery turned back and suddenly Tsuna felt herself falling. 

When Tsuna opened her eyes again, she was blinded by an incredibly bright light. Blinking and lifting her arm to cover her eyes, she heard several gasps. Looking around curiously, she was suddenly greeted by a cow’s face right up close to hers.

“Big Sis Tsuna!” Lambo shouted, clearly overjoyed. He snuggled into Tsuna’s hair and neck, hugging her tightly. Tsuna couldn’t help but giggle a little as she hugged him back. 

“Tsuna! Tsunayoshi! Boss!” called out a chorus of voices in the room as Tsuna was suddenly crowded by all her guardians rushing closer to her, overjoyed as well. 

“Thank goodness you’re alright now!” Gokudera exclaimed.

“That was extremely worrying Tsuna! Don’t scare us again!” Ryohei shouted.

“Glad to see you’re awake now!” Yamamoto added.

“Pleasure to have you return to us Tsunayoshi” Mukuro stated from his spot against the wall. Hibari also stayed against the wall, but on the opposite side of the room. He didn’t speak, but he had a rare, warm, kind smile on his face. Tsuna blinked, unsure of what had just happened, but she couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her face.

“Sorry I worried you guys. But during my sleep I saw some interesting things… I need to see my brother, where is he?” Tsuna asked, pushing herself up so she was sitting up. Lambo squeaked as he fell onto her lap, looking up curiously. 

“You need to rest!” Yamamoto tried to reason but Tsuna shot him a determined look.

“I think I may have figured out who killed my parents! I need to let Big Brother know!” she retorted back, earning shocked looks from everyone. Tsuna heard no more objections, so after tearing off the covers, she stood to her feet and began to head for door after ripping off all the cords and stuck on bits, minus the injections which she just disconnected. Exiting the room, she was followed by all her guardians.

“I think Giotto was in his study. He took the cassette and took off” Gokudera explained. Tsuna nodded her head, walking briskly to the study and slammed the door open. Giotto had been sitting at his desk, tears falling down his face as he listened to the cassette. When the door had suddenly slammed open, he jumped and looked at Tsuna in shock. Standing to his feet, he rushed around the desk and began wiping at his eyes.

“Tsunayoshi? You’re alright now?” he asked, looking down at her. She looked back at him in determination.

“Big Brother… I believe I may have identified Mother and Father’s killer…” Tsuna stated, earning a gasp from Giotto as he looked down at Tsuna in shock. What did she mean? Was she serious?


	17. Blood Red Eyes

Tension in the air was high as both children of the Vongola sat facing each other, both wearing serious looks. Giotto’s guardians all stood against one wall as Tsuna’s stood against the opposite wall. Giotto had called an emergency meeting upon the words Tsuna had told him. Now, only those fourteen were in the room, to prevent any leaks of information. Giotto folded his hands and placed his chin upon them, looking at Tsuna seriously.

“Now that we’re all here… Tsunayoshi, can you please explain?” Giotto asked, meeting Tsuna’s just as serious eyes. She gulped, a little nervous and overwhelmed by the amount of people in the room, but she steadied herself, looking back at Giotto.

“When I was unconscious… I saw my memories of when I was here as a child… I know that they’re correct, I can’t say how I know, I just do. Big Brother… Did you know about Mother’s ability?” Tsuna asked, seeing Giotto’s eyes widen in shock. He sat back, dumbstruck. 

“You mean her ability to see flashes of the future? Yes, I knew. At the time, I wasn’t aware. I found out after they died. Continue Tsunayoshi” Giotto stated, relaxing as he urged Tsuna to continue her story. Tsuna nodded, glancing at her guardians. She saw Gokudera and Yamamoto both nod their heads. 

“When I was about to turn three, I think… Mother was talking to someone. I didn’t see his face… But he was declaring his love to Mother. She turned him down, saying that he was your friend Big Brother, and that he was your age. He had white hair, that was all I could see” Tsuna explained, seeing Giotto’s eyes widen in realization. He sat up straight, his body rigid.

“White hair!? How was it styled!?” Giotto asked, his voice panicked and shaken. Tsuna lifted her hands to rest near her own hair.

“Similar to ours… All spiky…” she stated, hearing a panicked gasp from Giotto as he stood, knocking his chair back. Tsuna’s eyes shot up to meet Giotto, seeing the look of disbelief on his face.

“Maybe he just confessed and that was it?” Asari cut in, stepping forward to try and get Giotto to calm down. Tsuna looked down, shaking her head.

“No… He is linked, I know that for a fact. After she turned him down, he began yelling and cursing at her, claiming that he’d take over Italy and have her groveling at his feet, begging to be beside him… Then he started yelling about me being the reason she denied him. I think… he was targeting me to begin with” Tsuna explained, looking down sadly at her hands which were folded in her lap. Giotto remained silent in the room, processing what he’d been told.

“Based on what you’ve told me… It can only be one person… Byakuran Gesso. He was a childhood friend of mine. He’s now a part of the Millefiore family, another powerful mafia family in Italy. He’s actually one of the two bosses. See, the Gesso and the Millefiore families ended up merging after an agreement was made between Byakuran, the leader of the Gesso family, and Yuni, the leader of the Millefiore family. Though while they’re under the illusion of a joint leadership, everyone really knows that it’s just Byakuran who’s in charge” Giotto stated, sitting back in his seat after recovering from his shock. Tsuna’s eyes locked up to meet Giotto’s, eyes widening at the info. Now she had a name to match who she’d seen. Byakuran Gesso, so that was the bastard’s name. 

“What are we going to do Giotto? We can’t just accuse Byakuran of murder by Tsunayoshi’s alibi alone, it’s not enough. We need information. How are we going to get it?” Knuckles suddenly announced, stepping forward. He wore a grim look on his face, which wasn’t like him. Tsuna looked up at him, nodding her head. She knew her alibi wouldn’t be enough from the beginning.

“We could sneak into the Millefiore base and get information?” G spoke up, holding his chin in thought. Giotto looked up at him in shock, Tsuna’s expression matching his own.

“Hang on! Sneaking in is like committing suicide! The Millefiore’s base rivals ours in security. It’d be like a fly landing on a Venus fly trap!” Giotto declared, his eyes wide in panic. Tsuna looked between the two of them, confused. 

“If I may?” a voice suddenly interrupted, all eyes turning to look at Mukuro. He stepped forward, a small smirk on his face as he walked toward Tsuna.

“We don’t need to go to him to get the information. Why not bring the enemy into our own Venus fly trap?” Mukuro offered, stopping to stand beside Tsuna’s seat. Tsuna looked up at him, confused by what he meant.

“What is your idea Mukuro?” asked Daemon, amused by this idea. Mukuro let out a small chuckle, giving a small flick of his hair with his hand.

“It’s quite simple actually. We haven’t actually introduced Tsunayoshi to the other mafia families yet, right?” Mukuro began, seeing Giotto’s brow raise in suspicion. Giotto had no intention of getting Tsuna involved in the mafia world, but it seemed that wasn’t an option anymore. Mukuro smirked upon the raising of Giotto’s brow, then suddenly snatched Tsuna’s hand, pulling her up to her feet as she let out a small yelp.

“I propose a ball, Tsunayoshi’s introduction ball, and we invite Byakuran to it. Then, we catch Byakuran in our own web and get the info we need” Mukuro proposed, grabbing Tsuna and beginning to dance with her a little, then laying her back in a finale position. Tsuna was letting herself be leaned back, blinking in confusion. What the heck had just happened? She let out small stutters as Mukuro stood her straight, bowing to her. Stepping back, he bowed to the others and returned back to his spot. Tsuna watched in confusion before shuffling quickly into her seat, her cheeks burning furiously. 

“That could work Giotto, and it’s less risky than infiltrating their base” Lampo stated, scratching his hair. Asari nodded in agreement, turning to see Knuckles agree as well. Daemon let out a chuckle to show he was in agreement with the plan. G nodded as well, smiling at Giotto. It was Alaude that broke the merry cheer.

“I’m not on board with this… Not completely… Tsunayoshi won’t survive in such an atmosphere… A lot of preparations will need to be made before we can even think about her induction party. She needs lessons in etiquette, court manners, dancing, and conversation, need I go on? She is nowhere near ready for her debut” Alaude announced. The entire room fell silent, all eyes falling upon Tsuna. Tsuna froze to the spot, her pulse racing as she felt all eyes staring at her. Sweat rolled down her cheeks, her hands shaking.

“We can support Tsuna. Tsuna doesn’t need all those lessons, she’s perfect the way she is now. All she needs is a little dance practice, that’s all!” Yamamoto suddenly said, flashing his warm smile as he walked to Tsuna, putting a hand on her shoulder. Tsuna jumped, looking up at him in panic before she began to relax at the smile on his face. Yamamoto had that calming effect on people. 

“Baseball idiot’s right! Boss is perfect the way she is! There’s no way we could be as bad as the Varia, and they’re a bunch of uncouth idiots!” Gokudera agreed, stepping to Tsuna as well. Tsuna raised a brow at the unfamiliar name, turning to raise a brow at Gokudera.

“The Varia? I don’t believe I’ve heard of them yet…” Tsuna questioned, looking back at Giotto. He sighed, his expression turning into a soft smile. 

“Gokudera’s right, Tsunayoshi doesn’t require all those lessons. But we will need to hire the Varia for protection during the event” Giotto stated, turning to look at his own guardians. They all nodded in agreement, including Alaude who reluctantly gave in. 

“As for the Varia, they’re a side family to the Vongola, like a branch on the family tree. They’re hired assassins and bodyguards for members of the Vongola. It’s run by Xanxus, who technically, is our cousin by a few generations. He’s a rather frightening man, and his face always has a scowl on it. Don’t be surprised if he calls you ‘trash’ when he first meets you, he did the same to me too” Giotto explained, smiling gently at Tsuna. Tsuna listened carefully, nodding in uncertainty. Would meeting this Xanxus be a good idea? She was rather timid around aggressive people, especially if they were taller than her. Sudden talking caught everyone’s attention as all eyes landed on Alaude who was on his phone, chatting to someone with his usual, stoic expression. After hanging up, he looked at Giotto with a frown.

“I’ve informed the Varia that they will be required in the next coming weeks, they’ll be arriving in a few hours to set up and settle in. I’ve told them that we’re unsure when they will be finished” Alaude informed them, earning a nod from Giotto.

“Thank you Alaude. Men, prepare the castle for possible destruction please” Giotto ordered, seeing all his guardians nod as they exited the room. Giotto turned to look at Tsuna’s guardians, standing with a serious frown.

“As for the rest of you, we have a lot of planning to do before next week. Tsunayoshi needs to master dancing before the end of the week for her debut party to the mafia families, therefore I assign this task to you all. I will test your progress at the end of the week” Giotto informed them, a smile forming on his face as he turned to look at Tsuna.

“What about Lambo?” asked Lambo who had finally spoken up, jumping up onto Tsuna’s lap. Tsuna smiled, allowing him to sit and gently began petting his head.

“You have the special task of watching the other guardians. I’m counting on you to protect Big Sis Tsuna from them if they get too carried away” Giotto stated, smiling gently as he saw Tsuna’s face turn bright red like a tomato. He saw Gokudera and Yamamoto blushing as well, Ryohei was too dense to get the joke, Hibari wasn’t even looking his way and Mukuro was just smirking as if he accepted Giotto’s challenge. After petting Lambo on the head, Giotto left the room to begin preparing for the Varia’s arrival. Tsuna sat there, unsure what to do or say. 

“Don’t worry Tsuna, we’ll make sure you can dance to the extreme for sure before the week’s over!” Ryohei exclaimed, grinning madly as he pumped his fist into the air. Tsuna nodded, still a little shaky from the overwhelming situation. They were having a ball to debut her to the mafia families to corner her parents’ murderer. Something about that sounded wrong to Tsuna. Shouldn’t her debut be happier or more innocent? No, these were mafia families, there was nothing happy or innocent about that, but what they were using her debut for sounded even more wrong. Looking down at Lambo, she ruffled his hair and hugged him to herself. Lambo looked up at her, confused.

“Big Sis Tsuna, you look pale…” Lambo announced, snapping Tsuna out of her trance. She blinked, startled. Now that Lambo mentioned it, she didn’t feel very well either. Must’ve been a lingering effect of her passing out and putting her body to extreme risks. Smiling gently, she ruffled his hair again.

“Sorry, I’m gonna go back to the infirmary for today. Maybe Asari has some medicine that might make me better” Tsuna apologized, standing up and putting Lambo down on the chair. Smiling to all her guardians, she nodded her head and left the room. All the guardians looked at each other, unsure whether to follow or not, but they decided to give her some space. 

Tsuna found herself wandering the halls, scratching her head. She’d been walking for a while now, just where was she? Vongola Castle was way too big and she must’ve missed the turn off to the infirmary. She felt like all the blood was rushing out of her head, giving her a bit of light dizziness. Using the wall as a support with one hand, she continued walking down the halls. She knew it was at least an hour of walking she’d done, and she hadn’t run into a single person yet. Turning the corner, she suddenly stopped when she heard a loud crashing noise. Gasping, she began sprinting to the door, opening it to see who was in there. Freezing to the spot, she found herself frozen by a pair of dark, deadly red eyes, glaring at her. A soft gasp escaped her as she trembled, unable to look away from the eyes. A man was sitting on the bed in the room, black short hair, very tan skin and a frown that would scare a tiger away. Scars covered his face and he wore a black jacket over his shoulders with a white shirt. His main colour scheme appeared to be black and white. Another man was standing in the room as well, with long silver hair and silver eyes. 

“Voi! Who are you brat!?” yelled the silver haired man as he pointed his hand at Tsuna. It took her a few seconds to realize it wasn’t just his hand, there was a sword attached to it and the tip was pointing right at her neck. She gasped, eyes wide in fright as she trembled violently, backing up into the wall. 

“I-I’m sorry… I-I was just… l-looking for the infirmary…” Tsuna stuttered, seeing the silver haired man hover over her with a stern glare. 

“Wait, Squalo… Back up…” the black haired male ordered, making the silver haired man tense and back away.

“You girl… Who are you…?” snarled the black haired man. Tsuna gulped, no longer feeling so over whelmed. 

“M-My name is Tsunayo-…” Tsuna began before the man interrupted her.

“Tsunayoshi Vongola? Giotto’s little sister? You?” he asked, standing from his seat with a dark glare. Tsuna gasped, backing up against the wall again, completely terrified again. 

“This is the brat we’re to protect?” Squalo questioned, growling and beginning to get ready to strike with his sword. Tsuna looked at him in terror before she let out a squeak of fright as the man smashed a vase into his head. Squalo ended up flying out the room from the impact and the man kicked the door shut. Tsuna looked up from her arms which she’d shielded herself with, gulping to find herself alone with the scary man. He turned to glare at her, sizing her up.

“You’re a midget…” he finally stated, making Tsuna pause, raising a brow. Was he… trying to make light conversation?

“E-Excuse me?” Tsuna stuttered, seeing the man walk to the bed and sit down. He glanced at her, staring for a few seconds before he began tapping his foot impatiently.

“Oi, sit!” the man barked, making Tsuna squeak in fright. She hurried to the nearby chair, sitting up straight and rigid. 

“So… You’re the one who figured out who killed Ieyasu and Ginevra…?” the man asked, making Tsuna look up at him. Did he know Tsuna’s parents? She nodded, not trusting her voice to help her. She gulped, gripping her hands tightly.

“Um… E-Excuse me… but… May I ask who you are?” Tsuna asked, fidgeting nervously. There was a silence for a little before the man spoke.

“Xanxus…” he stated, hearing Tsuna gasp and look at him in shock. So this was the Xanxus that Giotto had warned her about, her long distance cousin, the boss of the Varia. Xanxus huffed under his breath, still glaring, but there was less hostility behind it.

“So… Byakuran Gesso, huh? He seems the type of do that…” Xanxus stated, looking at Tsuna as he tapped at his knee. 

“I-I wouldn’t know… I’ve never met him… Besides when I was little…” Tsuna replied, feeling the adrenaline leave her body. Now she felt even sicker. Xanxus seemed to notice this, raising a brow.

“Oi… You alright?” Xanxus asked, sitting forward. Tsuna’s vison was getting a little dizzy and her head was spinning.

“I’m not feeling very well… S-Sorry…” Tsuna apologized, trying to shakily pull herself up to her feet. She didn’t get very far though as she began to fall. She was caught by Xanxus who sighed, picking up her legs and carried her to his bed. Putting her down on the bed, he stood back and studied her. She acted so timid, but he could sense something strong within her.

“I-I’m sorry about this…” Tsuna apologized, her eyes beginning to fall, sleep overcoming her.

“Don’t worry about it… I’ll go get Asari… You sleep…” Xanxus instructed, putting a hand over her eyes and closing them for her. After a few seconds, he sensed her sleeping and pulled his hand away. Turning it over, he looked at it in disbelief. He was never this nice to anyone, so why did she get special treatment? Was it because she resembled Ginevra? Maybe…


	18. Foolish Bravery

Several days passed, and Tsuna found herself swamped with stuff to do and learn. During the day she attended school, and after school she was stuck in dance classes with Mukuro. Mukuro was the only one of the guardians who knew how to dance and was skilled enough to teach her. It was day three of her lessons, with only three days left before the party. Walking through the school halls, heading to the assembly hall that they were using, she stopped when she heard a loud commotion outside. Stopping, she ran to the window and peered out to see the cause. Gasping, she saw a group of thugs surrounding Ryohei Sasagawa. She immediately stopped thinking, running to the door and ripping it open. She took off in a sprint to them, seeing Ryohei was shielding Kyoko from the thugs. Tsuna’s mind clouded over in a blind rage as she dashed in the middle, stepping in front of Ryohei and throwing her arms out, creating a shield. 

“What do you think you’re doing!?” Tsuna exclaimed, narrowing her eyes in a glare. One of the five thugs glared back while the others smirked, laughing to themselves.

“What do you want missy? Leave, can’t you see we’re busy?” the thug commanded, but Tsuna dug her heels into the ground. 

“No I won’t! What do you want with Ryohei and Kyoko anyway?!” Tsuna yelled back, still panting a little from having run so quickly. The head thug gave a confused look, then began laughing.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re that weak you have to have a girl protecting you!?” he exclaimed, making a dig at Ryohei. Tsuna growled, glancing out the corner of her eye to see Ryohei holding Kyoko in his arms tightly, shielding her. He growled as well, glaring darkly at the thugs.

“Tsuna… I’m sorry about this…” Ryohei whispered in an apology. Tsuna’s eyes widened in shock, before she quickly shook it off, glaring at the thugs again.

“Mind explaining what this is all about?” Tsuna asked everyone, including Ryohei and Kyoko into the question. Kyoko looked up from Ryohei’s shoulder, trembling as she looked at Tsuna.

“It’s my fault… I’m so sorry Tsuna… They approached me and I panicked. Big Brother saw and came to help me, but now things just keep getting worse…” Kyoko apologized, her eyes brimming with tears. Tsuna listened carefully, then turned to glare back at the thugs. She needed to find a way to settle this properly without violence, otherwise they could all get into trouble. 

“Tsuna!? Ryohei!? Kyoko!?” exclaimed a familiar voice nearby, making all heads turn to look. Yamamoto and Gokudera were standing nearby, looking at the scene in shock.

“Boss!” Gokudera yelled, both of them running to the group. Tsuna’s eyes widened, seeing the thugs looking agitated.

“Stay back!” Tsuna ordered, making them stop a few metres away, looking at her in confusion.

“But Boss! They’re threatening you!” Gokudera questioned, earning a glare from Tsuna. She returned to looking at the thugs, who were still glaring at her.

“How’re you going to compensate for this, missy?!” the head thug declared, glaring darkly at Tsuna. Tsuna frowned, thinking for a little before she turned to look at Kyoko. Kyoko looked at her, tears still in the corner of her eyes. Turning back, she took a deep breath.

“What did you want with Kyoko anyway?” Tsuna asked, seeing the other thugs begin laughing. Narrowing her eyes, she wondered what was so funny about her question.

“That’s for us to know. Now, how’re you going to fix this?” the head thug questioned, a small smirk forming on his face. Tsuna couldn’t think of a better option. Letting out a sigh, she let her shoulders slack, looking at them calmly.

“How about a challenge? If we win, you leave us alone from now on. If you win, I’ll take Kyoko’s place” Tsuna offered, earning gasps from her friends as the thugs looked at each other, debating the idea. 

“No Tsuna!” Kyoko exclaimed, the tears falling down her face as Ryohei held her back now. The thugs turned to smirk back at Tsuna, chuckling.

“What’s the challenge?” the thug asked, his smirk only growing. Tsuna glanced around, needing an idea for a challenge. She wasn’t very good at anything physical, but at this rate it was all she could do. Spotting an ash vault court in the distance, she pointed to it.

“I challenge you to a five on five basketball game” Tsuna declared, glaring at the thugs. The thugs started laughing, the head thug holding out his hand. Tsuna looked at it for a few seconds, then took his hand, feeling him grip it tightly in a rough shake.

“Challenge accepted. I guess you’ll do as a replacement for Kyoko. Gotta admit though, I’m gonna enjoy this. Meet you at the court at 5pm today” the thug stated, giving Tsuna’s hand a painful squeeze, then let her go. Watching them all turn and walk off, Tsuna felt her adrenaline leave her body as her legs began to shake. She let out a shaky breath, turning to see Kyoko break out of Ryohei’s grip and tackle hug her. Tsuna lost her footing, hitting the ground painfully on her rear. Kyoko’s grip around her neck tightened as she buried her face in Tsuna’s shoulder. 

“You didn’t need to do this Tsuna! I’m so sorry! If we lose, I don’t know what they’ll do to you!” Kyoko sobbed, her tears staining Tsuna’s shoulder. Tsuna’s expression softened as she wrapped her arms around her, feeling the trembling in Kyoko’s shoulders. Kyoko was really scared, and it wasn’t even for her own sake, it was for Tsuna’s. Ryohei’s expression softened upon hearing Kyoko’s sobs. He knelt down, watching Kyoko cry as she hugged Tsuna tighter.

“Kyoko… I’m sorry Tsuna… I never meant for this to happen… What’re we going to do about this challenge? Can any of us even play basketball?” Ryohei apologized, his voice soft and calm instead of its usual energy. Tsuna looked down, sighing.

“I played a little basketball, but I’m actually not that good at it… Yamamoto? Gokudera? Ryohei? Can I count on you three? We need one more person… I can’t see Mukuro playing fairly, but I also can’t see Hibari playing fairly either…” Tsuna stated, looking at them as they nodded. 

“I think Hibari would be the better bet over Mukuro though… Mukuro has more chances to try and cheat. We should go ask him to join our team” Yamamoto suggested, walking to Tsuna and Kyoko, then gently took Kyoko’s shoulders, pulling her away from Tsuna. Gokudera approached, offering Tsuna a hand up. She accepted, seeing Yamamoto pull Kyoko up to her feet as Ryohei stood on his own feet. 

“But Hibari will just stop the matter completely though… He takes his job as a guardian even more seriously than the rest of us…” Gokudera stated, frowning as he looked at the window where the Disciplinary Committee was located. 

“We still need to try… Ryohei? Are you okay?” Tsuna asked, walking to Ryohei and raising a brow. Ryohei blinked, looking at her, startled.

“Come on, let’s go ask Hibari if he’ll join the team” Tsuna offered, grabbing Ryohei’s wrist and beginning to pull him to the Disciplinary Committee. Kyoko followed after them in a hurry with Gokudera and Yamamoto in tow. 

Approaching the door, she knocked quietly, awaiting the response. A quiet voice telling her to come in eventually responded. Opening the door, she peered inside to see Hibari sitting at the desk, working on a pile of paperwork. He glanced up when he saw her come in, eyes widening slightly. 

“Hello Hibari… Um… I was wondering if we could ask you a favour…?” Tsuna asked, stepping into the room. Hibari remained silent, unmoving on his chair as his eyes narrowed, seeing the others enter the room with her.

“What is this favour exactly?” Hibari asked, standing from his chair and walking to the window, glancing out it. Tsuna gulped, turning to look at everyone else. She shook her head when she saw Gokudera open his mouth to try and explain, quickly shutting him up. Turning back to Hibari, she stepped forward.

“You see… There’s this group of guys we had to challenge to a basketball game to get them to leave Kyoko alone, and we need one more member… Can you help us as the fifth member? We really need your help, please Hibari?” Tsuna pleaded, seeing Hibari turn to look at her. His expression was stern, seeing no point in this roundabout way of doing things. He was about to open his mouth when suddenly Gokudera jumped into the conversation.

“Boss is on the line in this game! She’s using herself as a bargaining chip to get them to leave Kyoko alone!” Gokudera suddenly exclaimed. Both Tsuna and Hibari’s eyes widened in shock, looking at him in disbelief. Tsuna sighed, smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand. This was why she’d wanted Gokudera to stay silent! She lowered her hand, glancing at Hibari to see he was still frozen in shock. The surprise quickly disappeared though as a glare appeared on his face and a dark aura surrounded him. Tsuna suddenly felt very nervous and scared, seeing him bring out a tonfa quite literally out of nowhere. She gasped, seeing him step around the desk, a murderous aura filling the room. 

“Where are these punks…?! I’ll skin them alive!” Hibari growled, tonfa at the ready. Backing up, Tsuna felt sweat trailing down her face.

“This is what I was afraid of…” she whispered, seeing Gokudera, Yamamoto, Kyoko and Ryohei all looking just as terrified as she was. 

“H-Hibari! Please calm down!” Kyoko pleaded, clinging to the back of Tsuna’s vest and peering over her shoulder. Ryohei frowned, seeing how scared Kyoko was, then turned to glare at Hibari.

“Hibari! Tsuna wants to settle this fairly, are you going to go against her wishes?” Ryohei exclaimed, his expression serious as everyone jumped, looking at him in confusion. Ryohei wasn’t acting like himself. It was almost like he was using the brain in his head. He wasn’t even using his ‘extreme’ catchphrase either. 

“Ryohei…” Tsuna whispered, looking at him in concern. Without him yelling his catchphrases all the time, he felt so far away. Hibari paused, looking at Ryohei before he relaxed, lowering his arm with the tonfa, letting out a sigh. 

“Fine… I’ll help in your basketball game… But if we lose, I will not let them have you Tsunayoshi… I will simply destroy them” Hibari replied, the dark aura returning to him. Tsuna gasped, blinking in fright. It wasn’t quite what she had in mind, but it was something at least. But why did Tsuna get the feeling she was forgetting something? It suddenly struck her as she froze to the spot, letting out a gasp.

“Tsuna?” Kyoko asked, looking at her in concern. Tsuna lifted her hands shakily to her chin, shaking slightly.

“Oh no… I’m late!” Tsuna exclaimed, turning to look at the time. 

“Late?” Yamamoto questioned, raising a brow as he looked at her in confusion. Gokudera exclaimed in realization, grabbing Tsuna’s wrist as she looked at him, both of them looking terrified. 

“Hurry up Boss! You might still make it!” Gokudera encouraged, earning a nod from her as she turned, running out the room quickly. Ryohei looked equally as confused as well.

“She forgot dance practice, didn’t she?” Hibari asked, making all eyes fall on him. Yamamoto, Ryohei and Kyoko looked shocked, clearly not having either expected it or remembered it. 

“Oh yeah, she’s supposed to dance everyday with Mukuro this week, isn’t she?” Yamamoto asked, chuckling as he remembered. Gokudera looked at him in disbelief, sighing.

 

Meanwhile, Tsuna ran down the hallways, bursting into the assembly room to see Mukuro sitting on a chair, tapping his hand impatiently on the table. He looked up at her, a small glare on his face. Tsuna panted, leaning forward to grasp her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

“I-I’m sorry Mukuro… I have no excuses… I’m sorry…” Tsuna apologized, hearing Mukuro stand from his chair and walk up to her. Finally recovering enough, she stood up straight just in time for Mukuro to grab her wrist and lift her arm up into the air, almost pulling her off the ground. She let out a silent gasp, staring up at Mukuro in shock as his eyes locked onto hers. 

“What were you thinking…? What if you don’t win?” Mukuro questioned, glaring sharply at her. Tsuna’s eyes widened in shock. How did he know about the challenge?

“H-How did you…?” Tsuna asked, seeing Mukuro’s red eye glow a little.

“I got worried when you didn’t show, and I overheard you, every word… Did you even think about the consequences of this!? What would Giotto say if he found out?!” Mukuro exclaimed, glaring at her. Tsuna could only blink in shock. She hadn’t thought much about the consequences when she’d made the deal, she’d only thought about protecting Kyoko. Lowering her eyes from Mukuro’s, she felt the weight of her situation falling upon her. She let out a sigh, feeling Mukuro lower her back to her feet, letting go of her wrist. Her wrist was stinging, but she just continued to stare blankly at the ground. 

“I’m sorry… I wasn’t thinking… I just wanted to help Kyoko…” Tsuna apologized, seeing Mukuro’s expression soften. He let out a sigh, running his hand through his hair.

“What do you want me to do Tsunayoshi? Do you want me to inform Giotto and put Kyoko under protection?” Mukuro asked, his voice calming down. Tsuna remained silent for a few seconds before she shook her head. 

“No, I want to stick to my word. I’ll settle this fairly… But can you be a substitute in case they don’t play fairly and someone gets injured?” Tsuna asked, looking up at Mukuro. Mukuro blinked, staring at her in shock before he sighed, nodding. 

“Very well. But if I catch them cheating, I will punish them severely myself” Mukuro stated, smirking as Tsuna smiled. Now they were all set up for the match in an hour. 

“We’ll have to cancel the lesson today and get ready for the match. Come on Mukuro” Tsuna said, her eyes now filled with new determination. She turned, jogging out the room and heading down the hall to where the others were waiting. Mukuro ran behind her, eyes narrowing upon seeing Hibari. Hibari was in the same boat, glaring dangerously at Mukuro. 

“Come on guys… Can’t you at least put aside your differences for just one match?” Tsuna asked, looking between the two of them. They both turned their backs to each other, huffing. Sighing, Tsuna looked around. They were ready for the match now, so now all they had to do was head to the court and wait for their opponents. Walking down the hallway, Kyoko tagging along at her side, they exited the school building and headed to the court. Sitting on the bench, they waited patiently for 5pm and the thugs to arrive. Upon their arrival, the thugs stood at one end of the court and Tsuna, Gokudera, Hibari, Yamamoto and Ryohei stood at the other end of the court. The head thug walked to the centre as Tsuna did the same. 

“Half an hour game, two five minute breaks. Team with the highest points wins” the head thug stated, holding out his hand as Tsuna nodded, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. 

“May the best team win” Tsuna stated, turning and walking back to her group. The head thug did the same. Kyoko walked up to the centre, basketball in hand. Yamamoto stepped up to the centre, awaiting the ball toss as one of the thugs stood on the other side. Kyoko gulped, ball in one hand, then tossed the ball into the air.

“Play ball!” she exclaimed, running off the court as the game began.


	19. Ready for Murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not very good at writing basketball stuff, so I used Kuroko no Basket for a lot of references. And I'm so sorry for the late update, this basketball chapter was taking a lot out of me and I was trying to make sure it was okay before I posted it.

Tsuna knew she wasn’t the most skilled basketball player, nor was she the quickest, or nimble, or fast thinking. But she hadn’t expected to actually be somewhat decent at basketball. As soon as the match began, Yamamoto had snatched the ball off the head thug, who they’d found out was named Hajime. Tsuna had run as quickly as her legs could carry her and Yamamoto had thrown the ball to her. She managed to catch it without kissing it with her face and began dribbling it to the hoop. In a matter of seconds she was surrounded by three of the thugs, now known as Daisuke, Keisuke and Akira. Stopping, she held the ball tightly in her hands and glanced around for someone to pass to. Catching Hibari standing near the hoop, she readied herself and threw the ball up over the boys’ heads as if she were aiming for the hoop. Hibari ran up to the ball, jumping up and snatched the ball in midair, managed to turn, and slammed it into the hoop. So far, so good! They’d managed to earn a point over the thugs. The last thug, Kaoru, stood at the white line with the ball and waited for a chance to throw it to one of his team mates. 

“Come on guys!” Tsuna yelled, frowning as she dashed to Akira when she saw Kaoru throw the ball in his direction. She wasn’t quick enough as Akira grabbed the ball, still in midair as he turned, aiming the ball at Tsuna. Tsuna realized what he was intending just in time, stepping back and narrowly missing having the ball smashed into her head. Akira smirked, chuckling a little.

“Woops, didn’t see you there” he teased, suddenly throwing the ball to Daisuke. Tsuna gasped, seeing Daisuke running to their hoop. Gokudera and Ryohei were defending the goals, frowning as they saw Daisuke running to them. 

“You’re not getting past us!” Gokudera declared, jumping in front and throwing his hands out to stop Daisuke’s advances. Daisuke stopped, smirking before throwing the ball forward, bouncing it under Gokudera’s spread legs, and catching it around him. Gokudera gasped in shock, turning to see Daisuke had gone around him. Ryohei charged, letting out a yell as he tried to snatch the ball off Daisuke, only to have Daisuke turn, then shoot the ball into the hoop. Tsuna slowed to a stop beside Yamamoto, watching the ball sink into the hoop in shock. Now they were tied. They were three minutes into the first eight minute half! They’d have to put some distance between them if they were going to succeed. 

“Tsuna, I’ve got an idea… Hibari and I will try to claim the ball, you try and always be free to pass to the other if we have the ball. That sound like a good idea?” Yamamoto asked, turning to smirk at Tsuna. She blinked, a little confused before understanding his idea. She nodded, new found determination in her eyes as Yamamoto turned to Hibari, nodding at him and earning a nod back. Tsuna jogged into centre court, awaiting Gokudera who was now on the white line with the ball. Keisuke was blocking Ryohei, Akira and Daisuke were double blocking Yamamoto and Hajime was blocking Hibari. Kaoru was guarding their goal. Tsuna looked around, finding herself to be the only one free. She lifted her arms, ready to catch the ball if Gokudera threw it to her. Luckily, he spotted her from behind the double team and threw the ball in her direction. Adding a little extra distance to it, Tsuna jogged after the ball, catching it in her hands. She began dribbling the ball to the goal as Kaoru narrowed his eyes, locked onto her. Lifting his hands up defensively, she jogged up to him, nearly having the ball snatched away from her. She bounced the ball away in time, dribbling around him before jumping up and shooting the ball into the hoop. The look on Kaoru’s face was priceless, just the shock horror plastered onto his features. Landing back on her feet and hearing the satisfying ‘whack’ of the ball hitting the court, she turned to see Yamamoto link an arm over her shoulders and laugh.

“Good job Tsuna!” he cheered, pulling away and giving her a whack on the back. Tsuna giggled a little, turning to see the timer now at five minutes. They were a point ahead, but how long would that last?

The next quarter was a lot harder. Tsuna witnessed her team mates being elbowed roughly and tripped. Some of them were getting bruised and Ryohei was even limping! Tsuna had been elbowed harshly in the ribs, but she was alright. These guys were playing dirty, but Tsuna was determined not to let them win. There was one minute left in the last half, so Tsuna focused on making sure they didn’t score another point. With three points to them, and two to the thugs, she was determined not to let them close the gap. Seeing Kaoru throw the ball from the white line to Akira, he dribbled the ball to their goal before Tsuna jumped in front protectively. She’d managed to stop him at centre court only to have him go around her. He dribbled up to the goal, managing to pass Gokudera and Ryohei before Tsuna came running up to him. She saw the smirk form on his face as he jumped up to shoot, throwing the ball into the air as she attempted to jump after him. She was shorter than and not as strong as him, so she didn’t manage to catch the ball, but her eyes widened when the ball completely missed the hoop, bouncing away. She didn’t even see it coming as Akira’s elbow collided with her head, sending her straight into the ground. 

She heard the sound of gasps all around her as she lay still on the ground, but truth be told, she was trying to process what had just happened. Her head was spinning and all she could see was the little stones of the court. Her whole body felt like it was paralyzed and as if she wasn’t in control of her own body. 

“Tsuna!” yelled Kyoko’s voice suddenly and Tsuna suddenly snapped out of her dazed state. The pain hit her in a flash as she managed to move, clutching her head in her hand as she tried to push herself up off the court. 

“Tsuna! Tsuna! Can you hear me?” Kyoko yelled, having run up onto the court and was kneeling beside Tsuna. Attempting to pull herself up, she felt Kyoko’s hands grip her shoulders and help her up to her knees. Blinking, Tsuna turned to look at Kyoko, seeing the shock and worry on her face.

“Tsuna! You’re bleeding!” Kyoko exclaimed, earning gasps from the boys. It was then that everything exploded.

“You assholes!” Gokudera exclaimed, turning and grabbing Akira’s collar of his shirt roughly. He pulled Akira closer, clenching his free hand into a fist. Akira smirked, panting a little from having run so much.

“It was an accident dude! Chill would you?” Akira declared, brushing Gokudera off him and shrugging his shoulders. Gokudera snarled, his fists shaking as he was about to punch Akira square in the jaw. Tsuna’s eyes widened in shock, afraid Gokudera was going to get into trouble. Her eyes narrowed as she yelled out a stern order to Gokudera.

“Gokudera! No!” she ordered, her voice catching the attention of everyone on the court. All of Tsuna’s guardians froze, bound by her words of authority. Gokudera turned to glance at Tsuna, freezing upon the wide eyed glare Tsuna was giving him. He instantly retreated from his aggressive stance. Akira chuckled, the other four thugs gathering behind him.

“We’ll continue the match… A deal is a deal. Mukuro, you’re going to have to sub in for me” Tsuna stated, trying to push herself up into a standing position. Kyoko hooked her arms under Tsuna’s and around her back, helping her stand. Mukuro walked onto the court, looking at Tsuna worriedly. 

“Tsunayoshi… Are you going to be alright?” Mukuro asked, looking at her worriedly. She flashed him a reassuring smile, nodding her head gently.

“I’ll be alright. Kyoko’s gonna get me all fixed up” Tsuna stated, earning a nod from Kyoko as she began helping Tsuna walk off the court. The game resumed as Tsuna was laid down on the bench, resting her head on Kyoko’s lap as Kyoko began to disinfect the cut on Tsuna’s forehead. 

“Thank you Tsuna… Really… You’ve gotten hurt, everyone has, to try and protect me. I’m glad that you all care so much, but I want this to stop. I want to be stronger, so I can look after myself. It’s been this way ever since I was little. Big Brother’s always been protecting me, and one time he got really badly hurt… That’s why I don’t like Big Brother fighting, it scares me” Kyoko explained, dabbing a wet cotton bud on Tsuna’s forehead. Tsuna winced, listening to the story intently.

“I see. But Kyoko, you’re almost an adult now. Even if you’re not physically strong like Ryohei, you’re still strong in your own way. You’re kind, caring, you can cook and maintain a household. You’ve got a good sense of order and you also know what you want in life. If those aren’t strong qualities, I don’t know what is” Tsuna stated, looking up at Kyoko with a smile as Kyoko covered her mouth with her hand, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

“Tsuna… Thank you… You’re a good friend” Kyoko thanked, sniffing as she tried to stop herself from sobbing. Grabbing a spare bandage out of her pocket, she placed it gently over Tsuna’s cut before flattening the hair back over Tsuna’s forehead. Tsuna smiled, glad she was able to cheer Kyoko up a little.

A sudden scream though caught everyone’s attention as Tsuna shot up off Kyoko’s lap, looking out at the court with a gasp. Ryohei was on the ground, clutching his knee in agony. 

“Big Brother!” Kyoko shouted, worriedly running out onto the court as Tsuna stood up. She’d had enough of this unfair play. It was time to end this. Walking with confident strides onto the court, all heads turned to look in her direction. 

“Enough… Either take this seriously and play fair, or GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!” Tsuna yelled, her anger beginning to spike out of control. She could feel her powers flickering on and off, feeling the flames engulf her senses and be extinguished, only to be relit. 

“Tsunayoshi! Stop! They’re only normal civilians!” Mukuro yelled, trying to stop Tsuna from transforming into her Dying Will Mode. He ran to her, grabbing her shoulders and giving her a little shake. The thugs all looked at each other in confusion before Hajime stepped forward, unamused. 

“What? Normal civilians? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Listen here, we don’t take being looked down upon lightly, do we?” Hajime asked, turning to his group as Akira nodded, grabbing a large stick off the ground nearby and smirking, before charging at Hibari and clopping him one in the back of the head. All the guardians and Tsuna stopped, looking at Hibari in horror as he clutched the back of his head, his arms shaking a little. 

“Kyoya…” Mukuro whispered in shock, his eyes wide in horror. Yamamoto and Gokudera looked just as shocked, standing beside each other with their mouths hanging agape. Ryohei was sitting up thanks to Kyoko’s help, and both were looking at Hibari in fright. 

“Kyoya… Oi, you alright?” Ryohei asked, his voice strained from how much pain he was in. It was then that a drop of blood landed on the ground from Hibari’s head, snapping Tsuna to her senses. She let out a small growl, her senses being engulfed entirely. She stepped around Mukuro who watched her walk away, knowing he couldn’t stop her now. 

“Eh? What’s this? Miss Prissy Pants here wants to have a few words with us? Well tough luck, we always win and that means we’ve won you. Now come here!” Hajime mocked, grabbing Tsuna’s wrist and lifting it roughly. Tsuna was nearly yanked off her feet, but she continued to look down at the ground, her hair hidden in her face. 

Meanwhile at the gate of the school, a group of men walked into the school grounds. A set of red eyes caught sight of the event, widening in shock before narrowing in realization.

“Boss, isn’t that the Princess we’re supposed to be protecting?” asked a green haired Mohawk guy in sun glasses called Lussaria. 

“Yeah, that’s the brat… What’s going on?” asked Squalo, frowning darkly. His eyes widened though at what he saw.

“You dare to harm one of my guardians…? You can hit me, cut me, break my bones, even kill me, and I wouldn’t care less… But you touch one of my guardians? Consider. Your. Life. OVER!!!” Tsuna suddenly shouted, the flames bursting from her forehead as she used the flames on her spare hand to flip over and kick Hajime in the head. Catching herself with her hands, she somersaulted back onto her feet and looked up with a glare at the other thugs. They looked confused and panicked. 

“Get her!” Hajime yelled once he’d recovered from his fall, clutching his cheek in his hand. Akira growled, stick at the ready as he charged at Tsuna. Tsuna shot up to her feet, using the flames on her hands to propel herself forward, smashing her fist into his chin. Upon impact, things seemed to slow down as she saw his stunned face. His body flew up a little before he collapsed back onto the ground. Kaoru looked at Akira’s now unconscious body, blinking in shock.

“Hajime!” he called out, his voice shaking a little. Hajime looked at the three remaining thugs in disbelief, before looking back at Tsuna. Tsuna stood still, looking down at the ground as the flames danced around her head and fists. Her hair flew around madly along with her skirt. 

“I don’t believe this! You’re afraid of one little girl!?” Hajime declared, turning to look between Kaoru, Daisuke and Keisuke, then back to Tsuna. When he turned to look at Tsuna though, she’d suddenly disappeared, reappearing straight in front of him. Hajime didn’t even have time to react. Tsuna had punched him with all her power straight in the gut. Hajime’s face contorted as the air left him, doubling over. Tsuna lifted one hand, blasting flames from it to twirl herself, kicking Hajime with her leg and sending him flying straight back into the pole used for the basketball goal. Slumping down to the ground against it, Hajime clutched his sides, looking up in pain. Tsuna remained still before looking up at him, face still hidden in her hair. She began taking long strides to him. It seemed tauntingly slow as Hajime cringed in pain, shaking in fear. Once Tsuna was in front of him though, she lifted her head high enough for Hajime to see her face. He let out a gasp, shaking madly in fear. All the emotion had disappeared in her eyes, only replaced with anger and fury. Her eyes were wide though in some slight form of insanity. But the frown on her face could kill.

“H-Hey!” called out a voice from one of the trembling thugs. Tsuna had been in the process of reaching down and finally killing Hajime, but stopped, turning to look at the other three. Her face was hidden again as she withdrew her hand from Hajime. 

“C-Can we just call it even? We’ll go… A-And never bother you again… W-We’re sorry Kyoko, we never meant for t-this to happen” Keisuke called out, shaking before bowing in apology to Kyoko. He nodded to Kaoru and Daisuke, turning back to look at Tsuna. Daisuke walked to Akira, picking him up and slinging him over his back. Kaoru and Keisuke walked up to Hajime, being sure to go around Tsuna carefully, and began helping him get away. Tsuna remained silent, watching them go before her eyes caught sight of the Varia, or more particularly, Xanxus. She gasped, lifting her head up as all the flames disappeared, the adrenaline fading away.

“Xanxus?!” she questioned before gasping again, her vision swaying and fading. She stumbled before tipping to her side and collapsing to the ground with a thud. Her vision blacked out, her mind entering a peaceful slumber.

Xanxus had been watching the whole commotion in intrigue, hand on his chin as he smirked. Maybe the Princess wasn’t so much of a Princess, and was already in her transformation into a Queen? That thought made his smirk increase in size as he chuckled.

“Boss?” asked a man with black hair and lightning shaped sideburns called Leviathan. The tall man in a cloak called Mammon looked up at Xanxus, before looking back at Tsuna’s collapsed form. Gokudera and Yamamoto had each grabbed an arm of Ryohei’s, helping him stand and not put pressure on his injured leg. Mukuro had picked up Tsuna and Kyoko was in the process of treating Hibari’s head wound. He looked shocked still, unaware that someone would become so angry all because he was hurt. 

“Hibari? Are you alright?” Kyoko asked cautiously, petting at the wound on Hibari’s head. 

“I didn’t think she’d explode like that… Did you see the look in her eyes?” Hibari asked, his voice barely above an audible whisper. 

“Yeah… I did… She was ready for murder…” Ryohei replied, looking at Tsuna’s sleeping form.

“She still can’t control her powers very well… We need to be wary of when she uses her powers, and stop her if she goes out of control” Mukuro stated, looking down at Tsuna in his arms. She was sleeping contently, her breathing even.

“ShiShiShi, Boss… What are you planning?” a blonde called Belphegor asked as he stood nearby Xanxus. Xanxus turned to look at him with a dark smirk, making all of the Varia members jump back in fright. 

“I’ve got a plan. And it involves her introduction ball” Xanxus explained, chuckling darkly to himself as he hatched his plan.


	20. Beginning of the End

She had to get to Giotto’s room! Grabbing the front of her dress and running as quickly as she could, she turned the corner of the hallway and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The heels she was wearing were killing her, but all Tsuna could process was that Giotto was in danger and she needed to get to him in time! She could hear footsteps running after her, but Tsuna paid it no heed, with a set destination in her mind. She was so panicked, she questioned how this had even happened. Thinking back, she recapped things in her mind.

It had begun the morning of her introduction ball. Bianchi had been the first to welcome her that morning, having been standing at the foot of her bed. Tsuna stirred from her sleep, sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily. 

“Good morning Tsuna! It’s time! You just sit there and eat your breakfast, I’ll get to work on your beauty treatment” Bianchi greeted, placing down a tray of scrambled eggs, earl grey tea, a slice of toast with butter on it and some small salt and pepper shakers. This was Tsuna’s first time eating breakfast in bed since arriving in Italy. 

“Wow, I get the special treatment today?” Tsuna asked, amazed. Bianchi giggled to herself, sitting down on the edge of the bed and grabbing a small pot off the bedside table. Opening it, she dipped a finger into the mixture and began dabbing at Tsuna’s face. She flinched upon the contact, but relaxed after getting used to how cold it was. Once her face was covered, she began eating quietly as Bianchi walked off to go put the beauty mask away. Finishing up the last bit of her toast, Bianchi returned with a small little machine that she connected to the electrical socket and began to puff out little bits of white coloured smoke. It smelled faintly of roses and jasmine. 

“It’s aroma therapy, it’ll help you relax seen as today’s such an important day. Also, your bath won’t be in your room today, it’ll be in the joint bath today with me, is that alright?” Bianchi asked, smiling as she tilted her head curiously. Tsuna looked up at her before smiling brightly, nodding her head.

“Yeah I don’t mind. It’d be nice to talk anyway” Tsuna replied, giggling a little as she grabbed the cup of tea and began sipping at it. Bianchi smiled, sitting back on the edge of the bed.

“You’re too kind Tsuna… One day your kindness will be taken advantage of… I fear for that day…” Bianchi warned, looking at Tsuna worriedly. Tsuna glanced back up at Bianchi, blinking in confusion as she focused on Bianchi’s eyes. 

“One day, you’ll take over the Vongola Family, and you’ll have to make some hard decisions. You’ll have people trying to win you over, and people ready to stab you in the back in a millisecond. You need to be careful” Bianchi explained, her brows furrowing in concern. Tsuna lowered her cup, looking down at her hands.

“I know… I know that I’m not suited to running a mafia family, and most definitely the biggest in the world… But I made a promise to Mukuro… I swore that if the mafia stood for what he had to suffer through in his childhood, that I would use the Vongola family to destroy the mafia once and for all” Tsuna stated, her voice turning stern as she looked up at Bianchi with newfound determination. Bianchi blinked in shock, unsure how to respond. Suddenly she smiled kindly, lifting a hand and petting Tsuna’s head gently.

“You have my support… I don’t know when you’ll be able to do so, but when the time comes, you will have my full support” Bianchi replied, still smiling. Tsuna giggled a little, unconsciously pushing her head into Bianchi’s hand. 

“Well, finish your tea and we’ll sit and watch a movie, how does that sound?” Bianchi asked, earning a happy nod from Tsuna. She grabbed her tea cup, downing in in one big gulp and placing it down on the tray. She stood, grabbing her dressing gown and slipping it on. Looking around, she waited for Bianchi to return from delivering the tray to the kitchen. She was concerned about how Ryohei was going after his knee injury. Asari had told her during her day of bedrest that Ryohei had just torn a muscle in his leg and would be on crutches for a few weeks, but wasn’t to do any fighting for a few good months. Tsuna blamed herself and her weakness for Ryohei having gotten so badly hurt. She was too kind, and didn’t want to get into a fight with the thugs, and it cost Ryohei dearly. Speaking of the thugs and fighting, after seeing Hibari get smashed on the head with the stick, she couldn’t remember what happened after that. She hadn’t seen anyone much lately, except for Bianchi and Giotto. She hadn’t seen Hibari at all since seeing him be clobbered either. 

“Tsuna? Is something wrong?” Bianchi asked, tilting her head curiously. Tsuna turned to look at her, unsure how to ask.

“Um… I was wondering if I could see Hibari and Ryohei first before we watch some movies…” Tsuna asked, fidgeting her hands and feet nervously. Bianchi smiled, giggling a little.

“Of course. Ryohei went out for a bit, but Hibari’s still resting in his room. Come on” Bianchi urged, leading Tsuna out the room and down the hallway towards Hibari’s room. Tsuna felt like her heart was going to beat out her throat. Each step made her heart pound harder, a large lump caught in her throat. Finally they approached Hibari’s door and Tsuna realized her shoulders were shaking. 

“Well, I’ll let you talk to Hibari on your own, give you two some privacy. I’m gonna go talk to some people as well” Bianchi stated, waving as she began walking down the hallway to the other rooms. Tsuna inhaled deeply, letting out a shaky sigh, and knocked on the door. It took a few seconds but she began hearing footsteps shuffling to the door and the door opened to reveal Hibari standing there with a bandage wrapped over his head. His expression was one of annoyance until he saw his visitor was Tsuna, in which case it was replaced by pleasant surprise. 

“Tsunayoshi?” he asked, blinking in stunned confusion. Tsuna looked down in shame, seeing the bandage over his head. She was the cause of that, she knew that for a fact. 

“Um… C-Can I come in and talk to you?” Tsuna asked, fidgeting and twiddling her thumbs. Hibari looked at her for a few seconds before stepping aside and revealing a path into his room.

“Go on…” he muttered, allowing Tsuna to walk inside. She stepped inside cautiously, looking around. It suited Hibari, the walls covered in shades of black and purple, a large bookcase full of old looking books, and even a small table used for traditional tea ceremonies. It was a cute little room, reminding her of her old lounge room back in Japan. 

“The place isn’t that Italian, I know… I just like the Japanese style renovations better” Hibari muttered, rubbing the back of his hair as he stepped closer behind Tsuna, putting a hand on her back and guiding her to one of the cushions on the floor by the small table. Tsuna jumped upon the contact, but didn’t resist, sitting on the small cushion on her knees. Hibari did the same on another cushion, looking at her for a second before beginning to make some green macha tea. 

“What’s that on your face? Some kind of face mask?” Hibari asked, glancing up for a second before returning to the tea. 

“Yeah, Bianchi put it on this morning to get ready for tonight. After seeing you and checking on Ryohei, we’re gonna resume getting ready” Tsuna answered, blushing a little. She was thankful for the face mask, it at least hid her face when she was blushing. 

“I think you’re fine without any beauty treatments… Natural beauty is best” Hibari muttered under his breath, earning a silent gasp from Tsuna as she looked at him in shock. Her cheeks began burning as she looked down shyly. 

“T-Thank you…” she whispered back, twiddling her thumbs. Hibari looked up at her, smiling gently and handing her the ready cup of tea. Tsuna smiled in return, turning the cup around a little before picking it up and having a drink. The familiar taste of the macha tea began reminding her of home, and she began to feel a little homesick. Lowering the cup, she stared longingly into the cup and didn’t even realise she had tears falling down her face.

“Tsunayoshi? Are you alright…?” Hibari asked, looking up at her cautiously. Tsuna jumped back to reality, looking up at Hibari before realizing she was crying.

“O-Oh! I just miss Japan… That’s all. Guess I got a little homesick” Tsuna reassured him, giggling a little as she drank more of her tea. Hibari let out a quiet sigh of relief and began work on his own cup of tea.

“Um, those bandages… When do they come off?” Tsuna asked, looking up at Hibari curiously. Hibari chuckled a little, finishing off his own cup of tea.

“They come off before tonight, so I’ll be fine for your introduction ball tonight. Speaking of that… how are you feeling?” Hibari explained, looking up at her worriedly. Tsuna blinked in shock, unsure of how to respond.

“W-Well… I’m nervous… Very nervous in fact. I have no idea what to expect… and I only just know how to dance now. I’m still worried I’m going to make a fool of myself and the Vongola family. And I’m really scared to meet Byakuran Gesso, I have no idea what to expect from him” Tsuna admitted, her shoulders trembling. Hibari studied her during her explanation, frowning in concern. Seeing her shoulders trembling, he reached out and put a hand on the back of hers. Tsuna jumped, looking down at her hand to see Hibari gently gripping hers in his and giving it a squeeze. She didn’t fight or pull away, but smiled gently as she began to relax. 

“We’ll all be there, and we’ll protect you” Hibari reassured her, letting a gentle smile form on his face. Tsuna couldn’t stop the grateful smile from forming on her face as she let out a happy laugh. 

“I know, thank you Hibari. I feel better now” Tsuna stated, smiling brightly at him. She wasn’t sure if she saw correctly, but she could’ve sworn she saw a smile form on Hibari’s face as well. Knocking on the door caught both their attentions as they looked at the door to see Bianchi peering in.

“Tsuna? You done yet? We need to get you ready” Bianchi asked, reminding Tsuna about the time. Tsuna jumped up to her feet, nodding.

“Yep! I’ll see you later Hibari!” Tsuna bid farewell, turning for the door. Hibari jumped up to his feet, snatching her arm in his hand, snaking her wrist and stopping her. Tsuna let out a yelp as she nearly fell backwards, but regained her balance to look at Hibari in confusion.

“Yes?” she asked, tilting her head as Hibari looked down at his hand which still had a tight grip of her wrist. He looked up at her, looking serious.

“Kyoya… I want you to call me by my first name, Kyoya” Hibari asked, muttering it quietly. Tsuna heard though, blinking before beaming a bright smile at him. She laughed happily, nodding her head.

“Okay, see you later tonight Kyoya” Tsuna stated, feeling the grip on her wrist loosen as she turned and went out to join Bianchi. Hibari stood there, watching her leave before looking down at his hand with red cheeks. 

Tsuna spent the remaining time of the day with Bianchi, being washed, primed and done up until the clock struck 6pm. Tsuna sat at the vanity set in her room, her long hair being brushed by Bianchi who was trying to figure out how to style it. Tsuna was wearing a beautiful fuchsia coloured strapless ball down with shades of purple and pink under ruffles. She wore really long fuchsia coloured gloves and a purple coloured cloak attached to her shoulders and round her neck. On her feet were dark purple coloured high heels. Her face was coloured in mixtures of purple and pink, much to Bianchi’s delight. 

“What should we do with this hair of yours? What CAN we do with it is the question I should be asking, huh?” Bianchi asked, giggling a little as she played with some of the long strands of Tsuna’s hair. Tsuna watched her in the mirror, laughing.

“I don’t think there’s much we can do with it. It’s the traditional Vongola style, isn’t it? I think we should leave it be, it looks nice like this” Tsuna explained, laughing before she spun in her chair, standing up. Bianchi stood back, admiring her work. 

“You’re gonna take their breath away!” Bianchi announced, laughing triumphantly as Tsuna couldn’t help but laugh softly. She heard a soft knocking on the door before a head poked into the room. 

“Is the Princess all ready?” G asked, grinning before stepping into the room in amazement. He let out an impressed whistle, walking to the two of them before bowing and offering Tsuna his arm.

“May I lead you to your party Lady Tsunayoshi Vongola?” G asked, smirking confidently as Tsuna let out an embarrassed giggle, putting her hand around G’s arm. G smiled, nodding his head to Bianchi.

“I’ll take it from here Bianchi?” G asked, earning a nod from Bianchi in return. G grinned, beginning to lead Tsuna out the door and down the hallway. They approached the stairs and stopped, confusing Tsuna. She looked up at him, seeing him standing there comfortable, waiting patiently. 

“By the way, you look amazing Princess. Giotto’s gonna have to double check to see if we grabbed a body double. Though, if I can say one more thing, you look even more beautiful than your mother” G complimented her, earning a massive blush from Tsuna who began stumbling on her words. She looked more beautiful than her mother? That was pushing it a bit, wasn’t it? Tsuna remembered what she’d looked like, and that was pretty hard to top. Suddenly she heard clapping in the room downstairs, making her look at G. G grinned, straightening them up before he began walking them both down the steps. Tsuna’s heart was pounding so hard she was sure she was going to have a heart attack. The moment of truth, where she would meet the killer of her parents. The one that destroyed Giotto’s life and her own. She was temporarily blinded for a split second by the light as they entered the room, but once Tsuna adjusted to the light, she saw hundreds of people, ranging in genders, ages and races in the room, looking at her in silent shock. Suddenly everyone erupted into applause and began clapping. Looking up at G, she saw him wink at her as he let go of her hand and bow before turning and leaving. Tsuna looked around in slight confusion and panic before she spotted Giotto nearby. Grabbing the front of her dress and lifting it a little, she began walking up to him. He looked a little shocked, but smiled gently as she stopped to stand beside him.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! I thank you for coming at such short notice, but now that everything’s been sorted out, I would like to introduce my sister, Tsunayoshi Vongola! One day, she will take over the Vongola family and lead us into a new age!” Giotto announced, lifting his hands up dramatically in his speech as his face was filled with nothing but pride and joy. Tsuna looked up at him, blinking in shock at his announcement. She was taking over? When? Giotto was older, stronger, and wiser. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have his future child take over, not his little sister? And why was this the first time she’d heard of this? Looking out at the crowd so as to not cause a scene, she scanned the audience. She spotted the members of the Varia scattered across the room, all leaning against the wall. The only one missing was Xanxus, who she found beside the buffet table with a plate of fine cuisine and a glass of red wine. He looked just as ticked off as always. She eventually spotted her guardians in the room, all scattered as well. Gokudera was beside Yamamoto, both watching in awe with pink cheeks. Mukuro was actually standing nearby Xanxus, but the two didn’t look like they’d noticed each other’s presence. Lambo was with Chrome, who was sitting at the table and eating quietly to themselves. Ryohei was at the front of the audience, using his crutches to stand as he gave Tsuna a huge grin when they made eye contact. And finally she spotted Hibari against the wall, watching with an impressed look on his face. 

She hadn’t found her main target. Damn. Had he decided not to show? Maybe he couldn’t make it seen as the party was kind of last second? Looking dejected for a second, her eyes suddenly snapped to a head of white hair in the crowd. She gave a silent gasp, eyes locking straight into purple eyes. He was the spitting image of her memory, just slightly older. His face was twisted into a cross between an evil smirk and satisfied grin. It looked slightly psychotic, mixed with a tint of what looked like lust. Her stomach dropped, twisting into a painful knot. She wasn’t even aware of it, but her breathing had increased in pace and she’d gone ghostly pale. Giotto looked at her in concern, waiting before tapping her shoulder. Tsuna jumped, letting out a squeak of fright as she turned to look at Giotto, wide eyed.

“Tsunayoshi? Your speech?” Giotto issued, nodding his head to the audience. Tsuna blinked, looking between the two before flushing bright red.

“Oh, sorry. Excuse me” Tsuna apologized, stepping forward shakily and beginning to say her speech to the audience. She accidentally stuttered a few sentences, but she managed to get it all out clear and loudly. Once it was over, the audience erupted into cheers again. Tsuna felt her cheeks burn as she stepped back and retreated to where Giotto stood. She heard a few chuckles from people as she stood slightly behind her brother as if she were hiding. Giotto chuckled, earning a pout and smack on the back from her. 

After the exchanges were made, Tsuna walked straight to Ryohei who was waving to her. She lifted the front of her dress and jogged lightly to where he stood.

“Ryohei! I’m so glad you’re alright! Asari told me you tore a muscle behind your knee! I’m so sorry!” Tsuna greeted, bowing her head in apology. Ryohei laughed, waving his hand dismissively. 

“Don’t worry about it Tsuna! I get worse injuries from boxing! I’m just glad your injury is okay” Ryohei replied, laughing more. Tsuna giggled happily, enjoying the light conversation with him before a voice cut them off.

“Lady Tsunayoshi Vongola? Greetings, I am Byakuran Gesso, leader of the Millefiore family. It is an honour to meet you at last” greeted Byakuran who stood to their side. Tsuna gulped, turning to face him before grabbing her dress and curtseying to him. He bowed in return, taking her hand and placing a kiss on the back of it as he smirked up at her.

“Might I say that dress looks stunning on you, just as it did on Lady Ginevra 20 years ago” Byakuran complimented, earning a shocked gasp from Tsuna. She blinked at him, looking like a stunned mallet. This dress belonged to her mother? How come no one had told her? Why was Byakuran, he murderer, the one to tell her this important fact?! Byakuran smirked in return, offering her his hand. 

“You seem shocked Lady Vongola. May I have this dance? I might be able to tell you some stuff about Lady Ginevra no one else here has told you yet” Byakuran offered, urging her to dance with him.


	21. The Calm before...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay in this chapter. Stuff happened (illness, stress, life, etc.) but I'm finally back on track.

Tsuna wasn’t sure what to expect. Here she was, standing right beside the killer of her parents, and he was inviting her to dance with him. Was there a rule about who she was allowed to dance with first at her introduction ball? Giotto hadn’t asked her to dance like how fathers dance with their daughters at their weddings, so maybe there was no rule? But the terror made her stomach do a painful somersault. This guy was an insane murderer who killed her parents and didn’t snap until she arrived in the picture, she had every right to be scared. But Byakuran was waiting for a response, she had to answer him soon. 

“S-Sure…” she stuttered, holding out her hand and letting Byakuran seize it. He smiled kindly at her, almost fooling her into believing he wasn’t psycho. But her memories told her otherwise. In a matter of seconds, Byakuran had gripped her hand and was pulling her out onto the dance floor. Tsuna really hoped all her dance practice would pay off now. Soon she found herself swaying around and being led in a waltz by Byakuran, all across the dance floor. 

“I must say, you’ve grown a lot since I last saw you. The last I saw of you was thirteen years ago, when you were only three years old. You’ve grown into quite the beautiful young lady, even more beautiful than your mother” Byakuran complimented her, earning a roaring blush to coat Tsuna’s face. He chuckled, smirking more as he twirled her around, continuing to lead her. Tsuna frowned, pouting a little.

“Enough, didn’t you say you’d tell me some stuff about my mother?” Tsuna complained, diverting the conversation. Byakuran chuckled in response, nodding his head.

“Very well Lady Vongola. If it is your wish, I will tell you. Your mother, Ginevra, was the definition of beauty. She was originally from Japan, did you know that? Your father was an Italian man and he met your mother while abroad in Japan for business. Ginevra was the daughter of a flower shop owner in Namimori, and she was due to take over the business one day. You wouldn’t believe it, but she had at least several confessions of undying love said to her every day, she was that popular!” Byakuran explained, making Tsuna’s eyes widen in shock. Her mother was really that beautiful? And she came from Japan? Is that where her name came from? 

“If you’re wondering how I know all this, let’s just say that when I came over a lot to see Giotto in our childhood, Ginevra would be explaining things to the both of us, like how popular she was as a child and showing us her photo album. Giotto didn’t seem to pay much attention, much to her annoyance” Byakuran explained, chuckling more as Tsuna couldn’t help but let out a giggle. Wait, she couldn’t let her guard down! This guy was dangerous! She couldn’t let him distract her!

“As for how they actually met, it took several meetings for the two of them to actually hit it off. Ginevra was very, very obstinate and hot headed. She and Ieyasu clashed heads a lot at first. The first time they met was at the business party. Ginevra was there to deliver the flowers for the party. Ieyasu caught sight of her and stopped a mafia boss who was trying to hit on her. She’d told the man over and over again that she wasn’t interested, but he just kept nagging her. After Ieyasu saved her, she thanked him, but they got into an argument straight after that” Byakuran explained, laughing. The dance had finished, but Byakuran began leading Tsuna away so he could explain his story more. Tsuna didn’t protest, she was curious to know more. After they found a spot near the wall, Byakuran let go of her hand and faced her, smiling.

“That mafia boss didn’t learn his lesson though. That night, he had his men kidnap Ginevra and take her to his mansion. Ieyasu had an idea that the guy wouldn’t learn his lesson, and luckily set up someone to watch over Ginevra despite the fact that they got into a huge argument. And it was a good thing he did, that person then informed Ieyasu and you won’t believe what Ieyasu did. He stormed into the mansion all on his own!” Byakuran stated, bursting out into laughter. Tsuna watched him wide eyed, not having expected such a thing to have happened. 

“What happened after that!?” Tsuna asked, balling her hands into fists as she urged Byakuran to continue the story. Byakuran looked at her in slight shock before smiling.

“You really want to know? Well, by the time Ieyasu made it to the room the Boss and Ginevra were in, he found out it was too late. He burst into the room, about to make some big declaration only to discover the Boss was unconscious on the ground and Ginevra was standing there with a large pot in her hands. She’d beaten the crap out of him the moment she’d recovered consciousness. Ieyasu explained his true identity after she questioned what was going on, and she actually laughed” Byakuran explained, seeing the shocked look on Tsuna’s face. Her mother had saved herself? And what was even more shocking, was just how much Byakuran seemed to be enjoying this story.

“So after she thanked him, you wouldn’t believe it, but they got into another huge fight! Ieyasu said that he wasn’t going to save her anymore and left Japan to return back to Italy, but every Valentine’s day he received a bouquet of flowers from someone marked as a ‘mystery sender’. His butler knew of course, so he’d get his butler to send back a pure white rose every White Day. This went on for about three years until Ieyasu went back to Namimori for a business meeting. They ended up meeting again and conveniently it was on White Day. He saw her open the small box he’d sent with the white rose and instantly realized she was the mystery sender. It took a while after that, constant asking her out on dates and stuff like that, but eventually they fell in love after that and got married. They had Giotto and when he was ten, they had you” Byakuran explained, smiling gently at Tsuna as he concluded his story. 

“Wow, I never imagined their meeting was like that! Thank you Byakuran, I’m grateful you told me this story” Tsuna thanked, laughing happily as she smiled brightly up at him. Byakuran smiled back, bowing politely to her. 

“The pleasure was all mine. If you ever want more stories, you know where to find me” Byakuran replied, standing upright with a smile and turned, heading back into the crowd. Tsuna looked around, unsure what to do now. She’d been lead here by Byakuran and now she didn’t know what to think anymore. She knew what her memories were telling her, that Byakuran was a crazed psychopath and the most likely person to have killed her parents, but she knew what impression she’d gotten from him now. He was polite, friendly and kind. What was she supposed to do now? The plan was getting screwed over all because she couldn’t figure out her own feelings. Leaning back against the wall, she closed her eyes as she let the cold feeling of the wall cool her a little as she sighed.

“What do I do now?” she asked herself in a whisper, opening her eyes again to scan the crowd of people. She spotted Giotto talking to his guardians and several heads of other mafia families. The Varia were scattered along the walls of the giant grand hall in the Vongola Castle. Xanxus still was at the buffet table, looking pissed off about being there. Letting out another sigh, she spotted her guardians scattered throughout the room, observing and interacting with the guests. Shaking her head, Tsuna scolded herself. Her guardians were out there in the danger zone of guests, she couldn’t slack off either. Stepping away from the wall, she ventured back into the field of guests. Squeezing between people and excusing herself, she continued to work her way through the crowd. Suddenly a guest stepped on the back of her dress, catching Tsuna off guard as she stumbled, falling into another guest and making them tip their drink over, it spilling over the floor. The man turned to glare at Tsuna, clearly unamused by her bumping into him. Tsuna let out a shocked gasp, bowing her head to him.

“I’m so sorry!” Tsuna apologized, looking back up to see the man still looked pissed. 

“This wine was expensive! I think a sorry isn’t going to be enough, little Vongola” he replied, suddenly smirking as if he were struck with a brilliant idea. Tsuna blinked, stepping back in fright. 

“Excuse me, that incident was my fault” called out a female voice that could rival bell chimes. Both Tsuna and the man looked at the source, seeing a young girl about Tsuna’s age walk up to stand beside her. She had black hair which was chopped to chin length and the back was in a waist long pony tail. Her eyes were large and blue and a small orange flower shaped tattoo sat under her left eye. She smiled kindly at the two of them, bowing her entire upper half in apology to the man.

“I truly am sorry for the inconvenience I may have caused” the girl apologized, standing upright and smiling brightly at the man. 

“Hmph. Just don’t let it happen again” the man grumbled, turning and walking away in disgust. Tsuna blinked, watching him leave in a stunned stupor. She’d handled that so well, just who was she?

“I do apologise for his behavior young Vongola, please don’t think too badly of him” the girl apologized, stepping closer to Tsuna and grabbing her hands in her own, squeezing them tightly. 

“You look pale, come. Let’s talk some out on the balcony” the girl offered, beginning to lead Tsuna through the maze of people and towards the balcony window. She opened the glass doors and Tsuna felt the cold air hit her like a smack to the face. The wind blew their dresses around madly, almost pushing them back into the room. The girl practically skipped up to the railing of the balcony, throwing her arms out happily as she soaked up the cold air. Tsuna watched her before stepping out onto the balcony with her. 

“We never got the chance to introduce ourselves. I do apologise. My name is Yuni, you are Tsunayoshi, yes?” the girl stated, turning around to look at Tsuna. Tsuna watched her silently before nodding silently. There was just something about this girl. She was so friendly, so cheerful, and so warm, Tsuna couldn’t help but stop and stare at her majestic nature. She was more fit to be in the Vongola family than Tsuna was. No, she had to stop thinking about herself like this! Looking up at Yuni, she smiled brightly.

“It’s nice to meet you Yuni. You can just call me Tsuna though, everyone else does” Tsuna replied, walking up to Yuni and standing alongside her against the railing. Yuni giggled, smiling at her before looking out at the night sky.

“That’s not what your guardian Mukuro told me. He continuously called you Tsunayoshi” Yuni teased, making Tsuna’s cheeks flush red. Yuni giggled, watching her reaction before placing a hand on Tsuna’s shoulder.

“Hey, do you like any of them? It’s okay, you can tell me” Yuni asked, still smiling brightly. Tsuna’s face flushed pure red as she looked away shyly.

“L-Like any of them? I-I wouldn’t know… I don’t know… I understand what Mukuro’s been through to get where he is today. I know of his pain and suffering… He can be flamboyant and flirty, but he means well. It’s just his way of coping with the scars he will always have. But I also feel drawn towards Hibari for some reason. He’s standoffish and is mean and scary, but he’s not to me. He lets me into his space and actually talks to me, unlike anyone else. I think he suffers from anxiety, and hides it with his violent behavior to everyone. But when he talks to me, he’s kind and reassuring. He always knows just what to say. And then there’s the issue of my own behavior as well. When I was showed Mukuro’s past, I full on snapped at our attacker. And when Hibari was struck by some bullies, I full on snapped at them as well. I don’t understand my own feelings, yet alone theirs” Tsuna explained, looking down at her hands on the railing. 

“It’s tough, is it? I understand, you’re uncertain at the moment” Yuni replied, smiling reassuringly at her. Tsuna smiled back, giggling a little as Yuni did the same. It was nice to have a girl around her age with her here at the party. 

“Hey Yuni, I’m glad you’re here. I would be feeling so out of place at the moment if you weren’t here” Tsuna thanked, smiling gratefully at her. Yuni blinked in shock before smiling brightly, stepping to Tsuna and wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. Tsuna blinked in shock, unsure how to respond. 

“If that’s the case, I’m glad I came Tsunayoshi” Yuni stated, pulling away from the hug and giggling happily. The last thing Tsuna had been expecting tonight was to make friends with a girl her age. Stepping back to rest against the railing, Tsuna watched as Yuni babbled on about her own family and guardians. 

“You have guardians too?” Tsuna asked curiously, tilting her head. Yuni laughed, twirling around to explain to her when she gasped in shock. Tsuna looked puzzled for a second before she sensed a presence behind her. Before she could turn to fight though, a hand clamped around her mouth, the other grabbing her wrist of her right arm. She let out a surprised gasp, trying to struggle out of the person’s grip.

“Tsunayoshi!” Yuni called out in shock, looking around in a panic as Tsuna let out a muffled scream from under her attacker’s hand. The attacker tried to pull Tsuna off the edge of the balcony, but Tsuna clamped her left hand to the railing tightly, refusing to be moved. Yuni raised her hands into her hair in panic before turning to the entrance to the ballroom. 

“Someone! Tsunayoshi’s in trouble!!” she screamed over the crowd of guests. All heads shot to her before two people rushed through the crowd to Yuni. 

“Tsunayoshi!?” Mukuro gasped, running up to Yuni as Hibari ran up beside him.

“Out there!?” Hibari asked, looking panicked as he brought out his tonfas and Mukuro summoned his staff. Yuni nodded, still panicked and frightened. Both boys ran through the doors and gasped at the sight. A person dressed entirely in black had hold of Tsuna and was trying to pull her over the balcony with him. He seemed to panic though when he spotted the two guardians. Tsuna’s eyes widened when she saw them as she tried to scream out their names, only to have it muffled by her attacker’s hand. 

“Tsunayoshi!” both boys called out, running to them. The attacker seemed to be panicking, taking his hand off of Tsuna’s mouth and smacking his fist down on Tsuna’s hand which held the railing. She let out a yelp of pain, her hand going limp and practically signing her death warrant. The masked attacker managed to grab her, shoving her over the railing as he fell from the balcony as well. Tsuna’s eyes widened as she let out a scream, her body falling over the railing. The world seemed to run in slow motion as she could see the ground coming up to meet her face. No! She wasn’t going to die here! Seeing an opportunity, she managed to grab the bottom of the balcony with her right hand, catching herself from falling straight down to an instant death. But the force was too much and she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold on for very long. Lucky for her, two sets of hands were offered to her in an instant. Mukuro grabbed her right wrist, pulling her up as she saw Hibari offering her his hand as well. Tsuna smiled in relief, lifting up her sore hand and placing it into his. 

In a matter of moments, Tsuna had been pulled up over the railing and onto the balcony. She only managed to stand for a few seconds before her legs wobbled violently and she fell to her knees, shaking violently in fear. 

“Tsunayoshi…” Mukuro whispered, kneeling to her level and placing a hand on her back, rubbing it gently. Tsuna tried to regulate her breathing, knowing she was in the first stages of a panic attack. Hibari looked down at the two of them, unsure what to do. So he knelt like Mukuro was doing, placing a hand on her hand and gently petted it. Tsuna looked up at him in confusion before letting out a small laugh. This seemed to relieve the two boys who stopped comforting her and stood back upright. Tsuna joined them, seeing Yuni standing there in fright. 

“Yuni…” Tsuna started to say before Yuni burst into tears with a happy smile.

“You’re alright!” she cried out, running to her and hugging her tightly. Tsuna blinked in shock again, but wrapped her arms around Yuni, gently petting her back. 

“Sorry I worried you so much” Tsuna apologized, smiling gently. Their moment was ruined though when G walked up to them, scratching his head in confusion.

“Hey, anyone know where Giotto cleared off to? He’s disappeared…” G asked, being followed by a man who was wearing a strange uniform, most likely from another mafia family. 

“G? Master Giotto is just in a meeting with my Boss, I do apologise for the lack of communication. Ah, you must be the young Vongola. It is a pleasure to meet you” stated the man, offering Tsuna his hand. Yuni pulled away from the hug, stepping away as Tsuna smiled politely, accepting the man’s hand and giving it a shake. She froze to the spot though as she saw images flash through her head, a small gasp escaping her. 

She saw Giotto entering a room after following a man down the hallway. He appeared to be confused for a few seconds, turning to yell to the man before turning to look back into the room in horror. Lots of goons suddenly appeared out of their hiding spots in the room, armed with guns and all fired at Giotto. She saw Giotto’s body get hit by multiple bullets, blood spraying all across the room, his body collapsing to the ground in a bloody mess. 

Tsuna let her hand fall from the man’s, her shoulders shaking as her eyes widened to painful sizes, her breathing shaky. She backed up a step, muttering protests to herself as she wrapped her arms around herself. What was that? A vision? This man’s true intent? Was it seeing through his lie? All she knew was Giotto was about to die. 

“No!! Big Brother! No!!” Tsuna suddenly screamed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she shoved the man aside, taking off into the crowd of people, shoving people aside as she went, and running into the maze of hallways. She was in a race now to save Giotto, she had to hurry!


	22. Determined Resolutions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is shorter than normal, and I'm SO SORRY about being so LATE!! I lost this story for a while but I think I may have gotten it back. So look forward to more updates soon!

Tsuna was in a race against time. She had to get to Giotto in time, otherwise he’d be killed! The exact same way their parents were killed, and Tsuna knew she would never recover if she saw that happen again. Turning the corner, she heard the yells from G, Mukuro, Hibari and the man who had approached them as they tried to catch up to her. She continued running, yelling out for Giotto.

“Big Brother! Where are you!?” she screamed out, desperate and feeling her eyes sting as she fought back tears. If she let her feelings get in the way and slow her down, he’d be dead before she found him. Rubbing her eyes with her gloved hand, she rushed around another corner and screamed out for Giotto. Puffing heavily, she continued running, tripping and feeling her shoe fall off her foot. She glanced behind her to see the heel had snapped. Damn, of all the times to lose her shoes! Kicking the other off, she began running on her now sore, bare feet. Turning another corner into the corridor, she spotted Giotto with a man, about to head into the room she’d seen.

“Big Brother!” Tsuna yelled as loudly as she could, seeing him turn to look at her in shock. Big, gold eyes blinked in confusion as he turned to face her.

“Tsunayoshi, whatever is the matter?” Giotto asked, grabbing her shoulders in his hands as she reached him, panting heavily. Tears began falling down her cheeks, streaking them in the mascara Bianchi had put on. 

“Big Brother! I’m not sure what’s going on, but if you go in that room, you will be killed!” Tsuna declared, panting heavily and looking at him in panic. Giotto’s eyes widened in shock, his behavior changing as he turned to glare at the man behind him. 

“What is the meaning of this? I thought it seemed too convenient!” Giotto growled, standing in front of Tsuna protectively. The man grinned, chuckling.

“So this is Hyper Intuition? It seems to be especially strong in your little sister Giotto. Very well deducted young Vongola Princess, but it won’t help you now!” the man declared, drawing a gun from his pocket and pointing it at Giotto. Giotto had sensed his intentions, drawing his own gun and pointing it at the man at the same time. Tsuna gasped, stepping back in fright. She really hated guns, especially how loud they were. 

“B-Big Brother…” she whispered, her big brown eyes trembling in fright. She raised her hands to cover her mouth, her shoulders shaking violently. 

“I should’ve seen this was a trap… To make me expose Tsunayoshi to this; I won’t let you get away with this!” Giotto declared, growling under his breath. The man only laughed in response. 

“Tell me who you’re working with!” Giotto demanded, his eyes going cold and dark. The man laughed darkly, his hand seeming to glow. Giotto gasped, backing up a step as the glow grew stronger. 

“Tsunayoshi!” Giotto yelled, turning and grabbing Tsuna, pushing them both on the floor, shielding her body with his as an explosion seemed to rip through the room. Tsuna let out a scream as it felt like the room was shaking. Giotto looked up with a glare, having dropped his own gun as he jumped up, charging at the man with his bare fists. Tsuna gasped, watching in horror before noticing Giotto’s fists were lit in flames, just like how hers went when she snapped. He launched a fist at the man, letting out a yell of anger as he struck the man, sending him back. Yells from the end of the hallway alerted Tsuna to the others arriving there, all watching in shock as Giotto fought with the man in the hallway. 

“Big Brother!” Tsuna called out, seeing the man was preparing another shot. Giotto struck first, sending him flying into the wall.

“Giotto!” G yelled, watching in shock, Mukuro and Hibari watching silently in shock. Tsuna scrambled up to her feet, watching the fight as she clenched her hands together tightly in prayer. Please, whatever god existed, let Giotto win and return to her unharmed! No one seemed to notice the other man who had followed the group grab his own gun, aiming it from behind them all. 

“Goodnight Vongola Princess” he whispered, firing as the man Giotto was fighting fired his gun at the same time. Giotto dodged the bullet shot but Tsuna wasn’t so lucky. She’d had her back turned to him, not even suspecting anything from behind, so when the shot hit her she was struck to the spot in pain. The man that had shot her smirked, turning and slinking off into the shadows. Tsuna’s breathing felt ragged, her lungs trying desperately to inhale air, her body shaking violently from the explosion of pain in her back, near her right shoulder. 

“Heh, you’re so absorbed in this fight you haven’t even noticed yet. Such a horrible big brother you are” the man taunted Giotto, making his eyes widen as he turned to look at Tsuna, gasping in shock from the look on her face. She shakily raised her left hand to him, her ragged breathing getting louder.

“B-Big… B-Brother…” she choked out, her eyes beginning to roll up as her body swayed, beginning to fall. Giotto gasped, turning his back to the enemy as he ran to her, catching her in his arms and cradling her. Lifting her up from the ground, he cradled her head in his arms, giving her a little shake.

“Tsunayoshi!” he called out, panicked and desperate. No! This couldn’t be happening! Not his precious little sister! She couldn’t die! Feeling a slight sense of relief when Tsuna opened her eyes weakly to look at him, it was quickly dashed when he felt the blood coating his hands. He removed one hand, looking at it in horror. It was completely drenched in Tsuna’s blood, his own little sister’s blood. 

“Giotto!!” G yelled, a mixture of anger and horror plastered all over his face as he spotted the enemy behind them charging up another attack. Giotto turned to look at him in shock, not having enough time to react. 

“Tsunayoshi! Giotto!” Mukuro, Hibari and G all called out, horrified and attempting to run to them, but it was too late and a loud explosion rocked through the castle. Tsuna’s vision went black upon that note.

__

Tsuna didn’t know how much time passed between when she was knocked out and when she woke up, but when she did awake it was with a start. Her eyes opened, being blinded by the light as she squinted, trying to recall what had happened. Her memory suddenly snapped back to her and she sat up with a start, letting out a gasp. She instantly regretted it, clutching her right shoulder in agony. 

“Please, calm down Lady Tsunayoshi!” pleaded a calming voice as she turned, seeing Asari looking at her in concern. 

“Big Brother!” Tsuna yelled, still panicked and looking around the room. Asari’s face fell, making Tsuna’s stomach drop. Had she been unable to save him? Had she lost him too?

“Lady Tsunayoshi… It’s been five days since the incident… When everyone else arrived at the scene, all we found were G, Mukuro, Hibari and you… Giotto hasn’t been found. We’re still searching for him, but until then, that puts you in charge of the Vongola family” Asari explained, making Tsuna’s eyes widen in shock. She was in charge of this huge family? And Giotto was missing!? What about the others? Were they hurt badly? A knocking on the door cut her attention as they both looked at the door, seeing Bianchi peer into the room.

“Tsuna, you’re awake now? What a relief, it was pretty scary that first day, we nearly lost you a few times…” Bianchi stated in relief, entering the room fully, hiding something behind her back. Asari raised a brow.

“What is it you’ve brought Bianchi?” Asari questioned, earning a smile from Bianchi as she walked closer to Tsuna.

“I know that you’re probably scared about now being in charge, and you’re worried about Giotto as well. So I brought you something to give you a confidence boost, or at least some comfort” Bianchi stated, pulling out a black and orange fedora with a bullet hole in it. Tsuna’s eyes widened, her hands instinctively reaching out for the fedora. Bianchi smiled sadly, handing it to her as Tsuna hugged the fedora to her chest tightly, her shoulders trembling as she tried to regain her composure. That was right! She still had Reborn watching over her, he hadn’t been training her all these years for nothing after all! She had to be strong, to protect not only everyone else in the family she loved, but to save Giotto’s life! Pulling the fedora down, Tsuna smiled up at Bianchi.

“Thank you Bianchi… I nearly lost myself for a bit there. I know what I need to do now” Tsuna thanked, earning a confused look from Bianchi.

“What are you planning to do?” she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her curiously. Tsuna looked down at the fedora, a determined look on her face.

“We’re going to infiltrate the Millefiore mansion and get Big Brother back” Tsuna stated, earning gasps from both of them.

“What makes you think Giotto’s still alive?” Bianchi asked, sounding shocked. Tsuna looked up at her, her expression serious.

“I know my brother is still alive. I can sense it, the same way you can still sense that Reborn is still alive” Tsuna replied, making Bianchi gasp in shock. She remained like that for a few seconds before she smiled back at Tsuna, newfound determination in her eyes.

“You’re right. Giotto is still alive, and you have my support Tsuna” Bianchi replied, lifting a hand and holding out her fist to Tsuna. Tsuna looked down at it for a few seconds before bumping her fist against Bianchi’s. Bianchi giggled a little, standing up with a smirk.

“I’ll let the others know of your condition, come out to see them when you’re ready” Bianchi stated, walking to the door and exiting the room. 

“She’s certainly a character…” Asari commented, earning a giggle from Tsuna. After getting a quick check over by Asari, she stood from the bed, walking out the room and beginning to head to the main hall. Opening the doors, she paused as all eyes shot to her. Her guardians stood to the left while all of Giotto’s guardians stood to the right. Asari had been walking behind her and walked past her to stand alongside his fellow guardians. The room remained silent for a little until Tsuna steeled herself. She knew what she had to do, now it was a matter of doing it. Looking up at them all with a determined expression, she inhaled.

“We invade the Millefiore base, we will get Giotto Vongola back!” Tsuna commanded, seeing the looks on their faces. Seems Bianchi had already explained to them, as most were smiling confidently at Tsuna, nodding their heads. 

“Boss!” Gokudera called out, smiling brightly in relief. He must’ve been really worried over Tsuna’s condition. She smiled gently at him, seeing the relief on all her guardians’ faces. 

“Sorry I worried you all… G! We’re heading in tonight! Everyone in the meeting room, we’re devising our strategy!” Tsuna ordered, her smile vanishing to be replaced by a cold, calculating look. Turning, she began to walk towards the meeting room. Everyone watched her in shock. Tsuna had gained an aura of grace and confidence to her, making her look like a true ruler. Upon entering the meeting room, Tsuna stood at the table and placed both palms against the wood, using it to lean against. Giotto’s guardians stood around the outside of the room while her own guardians sat in the centre. 

“So… What’s going to be our first course of action…?” Tsuna asked, looking up at all the guardians.


	23. Leading the Charge

Tsuna stood with her guardians, ready to storm into the Millefiore base. Gokudera stood nearby her, frowning as he prepared all his sticks of dynamite. Yamamoto had his katana ready at his waist, his usual smile gone as he frowned darkly as well. Ryohei had his gloves with knuckle busters on, jogging on the spot to pump himself up. Lambo was laughing confidently, making Tsuna smile down at him. No doubt it was an attempt to try and keep himself calm. Mukuro was standing nearby, polishing his trident while awaiting further instructions. Hibari was also standing nearby, tonfas out and at the ready. Tsuna inhaled deeply in an attempt to steel her nerves, exhaling slowly as she glared up at the door they were going to enter through. She was wearing a special black outfit their inventor Giovanni created. It was a little embarrassing to wear, being a black, tight, full body outfit made of a special type of leather that was highly durable and resistant. The good thing about wearing this outfit was the others were wearing it too. On her hands were the special gloves G had given her. Apparently they were Giotto’s, and now she was to wear them to save her brother. Looking down at her hands, she frowned, clenching them tightly. 

“Does everyone remember what they’re supposed to do?” Tsuna asked, adjusting the headset by her ears. 

“I am to act as a negotiator with them through the front door to distract them” Asari spoke through his headset. Tsuna smiled, nodding despite the fact that Asari wasn’t anywhere in sight.

“Our job is to infiltrate through the other back entrance and split their forces in half in a pincer attack” G spoke over the headset, sounds of confirmation from the other guardians being heard as well. 

“Alright then, move out!” Tsuna commanded, turning off the headset as she began walking towards the door. Gokudera jumped in front, several sticks of dynamite at the ready as he threw them at the door. The dynamite exploded, blowing a hole in the wall as the wind from the force blew past them violently. They could now go in!

“Let’s go!” Tsuna ordered, beginning the charge into the base. She could hear the footsteps of her guardians behind her. The moment they stepped into the hallway, she could hear a guard shouting. 

“Keep running!” Tsuna ordered, growling as her hand lit up in flames. She waved her hand, sending a blast of flames at the guard. He let out a scream of fright before getting blasted into the wall. He slumped down against the wall, eyes closed. Turning, she ran after her guardians, resuming the charge. They ran down a few hallways, seeing no one until suddenly they saw someone in the way, waiting for them. He had red hair, a sharp glare and appeared to be in a bad mood.

“Idjit… you picked the wrong base to break into young Vongola” he warned, smirking as he wiped his nose. Tsuna gasped, jumping back and glaring at their new arrival. Wait, she could sense something… Oh no!

“Get back guys!” she yelled, jumping in front of all of them as she lit up her gloves in flames, sending them at the enemy. 

“Boss!” Gokudera shouted, gasping as her flames suddenly exploded in the air. 

“W-What just happened?” Yamamoto asked, confused.

“You sent out your own flames in an attempt to drain us, didn’t you? Tsunayoshi sensed it and foiled your plan” Mukuro explained, seeing the smirk form on the red head’s face. 

“Interesting… you figured it out? I am Zakuro, one of the six funeral wreaths. I work for Master Byakuran, and you stop here” Zakuro stated, chuckling as he lit up his face in red flames. 

“Boss! Leave this to Yamamoto and me!” Gokudera declared, jumping in front of Tsuna as Yamamoto drew his sword, jumping in front as well. 

“Gokudera… Yamamoto…” Tsuna whispered, blinking in shock. She really didn’t want to leave them here against this enemy, but she had to if she wanted to save Giotto. 

“Stay alive… I beg you!” Tsuna pleaded, watching them prepare for battle before beginning to continue running ahead, her eyes stinging. She could feel a few tears escaping as she ran ahead. 

“Brave, staying behind and sacrificing yourselves for your boss” Zakuro taunted, chuckling. Yamamoto glared, not liking his attitude. Pulling the blade and getting ready to strike, Gokudera shook his head, surprisingly calm despite the situation.

“No, we’re not sacrificing ourselves. The Boss gave us an order to stay alive, and we always follow orders, right Yamamoto?” Gokudera persuaded, smirking at Yamamoto. Yamamoto glanced at him, smiling as he nodded, now calm.

“Right. We don’t want Tsuna to cry” Yamamoto added, smirking as they prepared for battle. Zakuro chuckled.

“Deluded brats. Your funeral” Zakuro growled, beginning to be surrounded in red flames, signaling the beginning of battle. 

 

Tsuna continued running, panting heavily before a sudden explosion behind her made her gasp, turning to a stop. Smoke was beginning to seep through the halls. Tsuna’s eyes widened, her breathing almost ceasing as she stared at where she’d left Gokudera and Yamamoto. 

“No… NO!!!!” Tsuna screamed, attempting to run back for them when she was grabbed by Hibari, restrained. 

“Tsunayoshi! Calm yourself!” Hibari urged, holding her tightly in his arms as she struggled against him, reaching out for where the two had been left.

“Gokudera!! Yamamoto!!” Tsuna screamed out more, tears streaming down her face. 

“Tsunayoshi! They’re alive, please, we must focus on our task” Mukuro pleaded, standing between Tsuna and the explosion, looking down at her calmly. Tsuna looked up at him, blinking with wide eyes stained in tears. Hibari loosened his grip, feeling Tsuna had stopped struggling. 

“We need to keep moving. If we go back, them letting us go on means nothing” Hibari stated, letting Tsuna go completely. She stood still, looking at the source of the explosion before looking down at the ground. 

“You’re right… Let’s keep moving…” Tsuna said shakily, letting out a sigh before turning back to the path they were going. 

“Let’s go Tsuna!” Ryohei agreed, rubbing his nose.

“Big Sis Tsuna? Please stop crying…” Lambo pleaded, jumping up on her shoulder and looking at her in concern. Tsuna wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, smiling at Lambo.

“I’m okay now, let’s keep moving” Tsuna reassured him, gently petting his head. Lambo smiled happily, cheering. 

“How nice of a reunion this is. Too bad Master Byakuran wants you all dead. Boo” stated a cheerful voice, making Tsuna freeze as she looked up to see a girl with long blue hair and blue eyes in front of them. She was smiling innocently at them, but Tsuna could sense great power in her. 

“W-Who are you…?” Tsuna asked, glaring at the girl. She burst into happy giggles.

“I’m Bluebell, another of the six funeral wreaths. You’re the Princess of Vongola, right?” Bluebell asked, smiling in a friendly way. 

“That I am… I’m Tsunayoshi Vongola, and currently I’m in charge of the Vongola family” Tsuna replied, refusing to budge from her facial expression. Bluebell giggled, leaning forward before pouting.

“What I don’t understand is why you’re leading the Vongola family into our base Miss Vongola. Why do such a thing when we did nothing to you?” Bluebell asked, pouting more at Tsuna. This spiked fury throughout Tsuna. How dare they act as if they did nothing…!

“You know perfectly well what you did! Where’s my brother!?” Tsuna yelled, clenching her fists tightly. Bluebell raised a brow, looking confused.

“Hm? Oh, you mean that little thing? I didn’t think that would get to you, seen as now you can be Boss of the family!” Bluebell taunted, bursting into giggles. Tsuna growled, clenching her teeth tightly. 

“You… You bitch!” Tsuna snarled, her fist clenched as she suddenly dashed forward, slamming her fist into Bluebell’s face. Bluebell clearly hadn’t been expecting it, letting out a yell as she slammed against the wall. Tsuna’s face was the embodiment of pure rage. 

“You think something like this makes me happy!? Big Brother is the only family I’ve got left!! Give him back!!” Tsuna screamed out, her eyes almost slits in fury. Bluebell looked up, gasping in shock at Tsuna’s sudden change in behavior. 

“W-What…!?” she stuttered, shaking a little in fear as Tsuna clenched her fists again, flames coating them.

“Tsunayoshi!” Hibari called out, watching in worry.

“Tsunayoshi, you must calm down! You’re our leader, please keep a level head!” Mukuro pleaded, watching in slight fear from Tsuna’s fury. He had no idea how to calm down such a rampage! 

“Tsuna!” Ryohei yelled, eyes wide as Lambo called out repeatedly to her. This was no time for Tsuna to lose it! Hibari suddenly decided he’d had enough. Charging at Tsuna, he slid his tonfas into his belt, wrapping his arms around her from behind. Tsuna froze, unsure how to respond to the sudden movement. 

“Tsunayoshi… Calm yourself… You must lead us with a level head…” Hibari stated, his voice soothing. Tsuna exhaled deeply, her arms and hands relaxing as she stood still, leaning back against him. 

“Thank you Hibari… I lost myself…” Tsuna thanked, a small smile forming on her face. Hibari sighed, letting her go and standing back slowly. 

“Just leave her to me Tsuna. Lambo and I will make her pay for insulting you” Ryohei stated, grinning as he held up a fist. Lambo chuckled, reaching into his hair and pulling out several grenades. 

“Go on Big Sis Tsuna! Leave this to Lambo!” Lambo declared, grinning as Bluebell let out a shriek. Hibari yanked Tsuna out of the way just as Lambo threw the grenades at Bluebell, exploding upon impact. 

“We must hurry! Run Tsunayoshi!” Mukuro yelled, urging Tsuna to begin running. She took off in a sprint, Mukuro and Hibari at her heels. Turning and running up the stairs, she began heading towards the main office, where Byakuran was most likely. She only prayed she wasn’t too late! Running up onto the fourth floor now, she turned the corner and stopped suddenly, glaring up at the new arrival. This was a man with long green hair and purple eyes, grinning darkly at the three of them.

“Be careful… This guy is extremely powerful…” Mukuro warned, gripping his trident tightly. Hibari unsheathed his tonfas, twirling them.

“He’s the same as me… I want to defeat him…” Hibari growled, a small smirk on his face. The man chuckled.

“I am Kikyo, one of the six funeral wreaths. You did well to make it this far. But it ends here!” Kikyo suddenly yelled, swinging his arm as Tsuna gasped. 

“Tsunayoshi!” Mukuro shouted, grabbing Tsuna in his arms protectively as Hibari twirled his tonfa, deflecting the attack. Both were seriously pissed now. 

“You’ve just earned your death warrant…” Hibari growled, getting ready to fight. Mukuro let Tsuna go, looking down at her with a small smile.

“Go ahead, we’ll take care of this asshole” Mukuro reassured her, nodding when he saw her questioning expression. Tsuna nodded, hating the idea of leaving anymore people behind, but turned and began running up the stairs leading directly to the Millefiore main office. Stopping just at the doors, she panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. Looking up, she braced herself before pushing the doors open and entering the room. She expected what she saw, which was Byakuran sitting at the main desk, smiling expectantly.

“Byakuran…” Tsuna greeted, her expression a stern glare.

“Welcome Tsunayoshi Vongola” Byakuran greeted in return.

 

Giotto grumbled in his sleep, stirring from his slumber. He hurt all over, looking around as he tried to figure out where he was. His head hurt, but he managed to lift himself up off the ground. 

“W-Where am I…?” Giotto asked, rubbing his head in pain. 

“You’re in the dungeon…” replied a voice, making Giotto turn to look behind him, gasping in shock. He remained frozen, staring in shock at the mystery person hidden in the darkness.

“Y-You are…!” Giotto gasped, unable to find the right words.


	24. Final Battle

“My my, what a pleasant surprise Tsunayoshi. Did you miss me that much after the party?” Byakuran teased, chuckling as he stood from his seat. Tsuna frowned, steeling her nerves.

“Save me the act. You and I both know what you’re really like… Now tell me, where’s my brother?” Tsuna demanded, seeing Byakuran stop, blinking in shock at her. He was a good actor, she’d have to give him that.

“Your brother? I’m not sure… Why? Do you think I took him?” Byakuran asked, smirking at her. Bingo, he did know something. 

“Yeah, I do. My memories of you prove who you really are. And the fact that you’re smiling right now proves that you do know something. So tell me, where is Giotto!?” Tsuna explained, clenching her hands into fists. Byakuran burst out into laughter, throwing his head back almost maniacally. This laughter was familiar. It was the same laughter he’d used during his threats to her mother. Letting his head fall forward, he looked up at her with a crazy grin. 

“Such a smart, clever girl. You’re just like your mother, so beautiful and smart” Byakuran stated, chuckling insanely. Tsuna couldn’t help but gulp in fear. This man was dangerous, he was practically exhaling danger. 

“But you know something? You must’ve underestimated me, coming here alone. Where are your guardians?” Byakuran asked, looking up at her with a displeased frown. 

“They’re fighting some of the six funeral wreaths that you planted throughout the facility. I’m only here because they told me to go on ahead” Tsuna explained, seeing the smirk suddenly grow on his face.

“So Zakuro, Bluebell and Kikyo did their jobs. Good on them, I’ll have to give them a raise. But as for you Tsunayoshi, coming here alone was your biggest mistake!” Byakuran taunted, looking up at her with a harsh glare. This was it! She had to fight! Lifting her fists up, she prepared herself for battle. In the blink of an eye though, Byakuran had suddenly disappeared. Where did he go!? Looking around the room, Tsuna grit her teeth in fear before a sudden strike to the back of her neck made her go limp. Tsuna let out a gasp, feeling her body fall forward and collapse onto the ground. How did he get behind her so quickly? Struggling to move, Tsuna managed to turn her head slightly to glare up at him, her body numb and tingly. Byakuran smirked, kneeling down and gently rolling her onto her back.

“You’re so beautiful Tsunayoshi. I couldn’t have Ginevra, but you’re just as beautiful, if not more. I can see the beauty you’ll turn into. I will make you mine instead” Byakuran stated, moving his hand towards Tsuna. Tsuna felt her breathing pick up in pace, fear coursing through her veins. She mentally screamed at her body to move, she needed to get away! Somewhere, anywhere! She needed to be anywhere but here! But it was no avail, Byakuran’s hand landed to rest gently across her forehead, staying there for a few moments before Tsuna felt a strike of pain go through her, starting at her forehead. She grit her teeth, fighting back the pain before letting out a cry of agony. Byakuran was chuckling to himself, watching Tsuna squirm and wriggle in pain, attempting to get away from the source as she let out screams of agony, her mind being torn apart from the seams. In a minute or so, her screams suddenly stopped, her body falling limp against the ground. Byakuran moved his hand away, smiling down at the now unconscious Tsuna. Gently brushing some hair away from her face, he smirked.

“Now you will be mine forever” Byakuran stated, chuckling.

\--

“Giotto!” called out a familiar voice as Giotto looked up at the bars of the cell he was in. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing! G was standing there with Knuckles.

“G! Knuckles!” Giotto called out, attempting to move towards the bars. G noticed, turning to look at Knuckles.

“Giotto’s hurt. Knuckles, you know what to do” G instructed, stepping back and kicking at the barred door. It swung open with a loud clang, making Giotto wince from the sound. Knuckles rushed in, kneeling beside him as he waved his hands over Giotto, his hands glowing a soft yellow in colour. Giotto could feel his wounds getting lighter and hurting less. Eventually they disappeared entirely. 

“Thanks Knuckles, I’m fine now. Save your energy. We have bigger things to worry about. Look who I found” Giotto stated, turning to point in the darker corner of the cell. Knuckles and G looked at where Giotto was pointing, gasping when they realized who was sitting there. They saw him stand, walking out towards the light with a small smile on his face.

“It’s been a while you two. Hope you’ve been kicking up with your practice” the voice taunted, belonging to a man with black spiky hair and two curly sideburns on the side of his face. 

“Reborn!” G exclaimed, his eyes wide in amazement. 

“This is great! The kid’s been real depressed since you disappeared! Now she’ll be overjoyed!” Knuckles exclaimed as well, jumping up to his feet and throwing a fist up into the air. 

“Tsunayoshi? She’s not here, is she?” Reborn suddenly asked, frowning darkly. Knuckles looked at him confused as G frowned.

“She led the charge herself. She ordered the family to break into the Millefiore base to retrieve Giotto. She’s gotten a lot stronger than when she first got here. She’s able to harness and use dying will flames and she’s even able to use Hyper Intuition. She should be fine” G explained, jumping when Reborn kicked at the bars suddenly.

“That’s beside the point! Byakuran’s goal this whole time was to lure Tsunayoshi to him! He’s a thousand times stronger than what she could become in this small amount of time! She stands no chance against him! We have to hurry, I just pray we’re not too late!” Reborn exclaimed, his face in dark frown. Giotto’s eyes widened, realizing he’d been the bait to lead his little sister straight to the lion’s mouth. He stood up, rushing straight to the door.

“Giotto! Wait for us!” G exclaimed, nodding at Knuckles and Reborn, all three of them rushing after Giotto who was running in a blind dash. He had to get to Tsunayoshi, he had to protect her! She was all he had left, there was no way he was going to lose her now. Bursting into the main hall, he spotted the remnants of the charge. Asari was healing some injuries Lampo and Alaude had received. Daemon Spade was trying to get Lambo to calm down as Ryohei, Yamamoto and Gokudera sat against the wall, trying to recover some more energy. Mukuro and Hibari seemed a little roughed up, but were fine overall. All eyes turned to him when they spotted him, eyes widening at who they spotted behind him.

“Reborn!”

“Master Reborn!” It was a chorus of the two. Reborn smirked upon seeing them all alive, but scanned the room worriedly.

“Where’s Tsunayoshi?” Reborn demanded, frowning. 

“She went up ahead to face Byakuran” Mukuro explained, seeing Reborn’s eyes widen in shock. 

“No! We’re too late!” Reborn exclaimed, making all eyes widen as they looked at him. 

“You’re quite right! It is too late!” taunted a voice as everyone looked up at the balcony of the top floor that overlooked the main hall. Byakuran was standing there, smirking down at all of them as he held onto the railing.

“Byakuran! Where’s Tsunayoshi!?” Giotto demanded, glaring. Byakuran threw his head back in a laugh.

“Tsunayoshi? She came to me of her own free will. And now that I have your attention, I’d like to announce something. Tsunayoshi Vongola, heir to the Vongola family, will be joining the Millefiore family through marriage. Tsunayoshi has agreed to become my wife” Byakuran announced, earning gasps from everyone in the main hall.

“You lie!” Reborn exclaimed, growling and wishing he had a gun on him. Byakuran looked down at him with a smirk.

“Don’t believe me? Tsunayoshi dear? Care to come out here?” Byakuran stated, turning and holding out a hand as they all gasped, seeing Tsuna walk out from another room, dressed in the most beautiful white gown. It was a strapless white dress, similar to a wedding dress, with pieces on the arm that connected to the dress. It had a flowing long train behind it. She turned to face everyone after taking Byakuran’s hand, opening her eyes to reveal blank orbs. 

“What have you done to her…?” Giotto whispered, seeing the blank stare in Tsunayoshi’s eyes. She wasn’t in there anymore. He didn’t even know if the little sister he loved still existed, she was just an empty shell. He could feel his legs shaking before they gave out, making him collapse to his knees, looking up at them both in disbelief.

“Tsunayoshi…” he whispered, eyes wide in trauma. 

“You sick bastard! You’ve completely destroyed her mind!” Reborn growled, wishing he had a gun on him now more than ever. 

“Tsunayoshi…” whispered both Mukuro and Hibari, only able to stare up in horror at what had become of the most important person in their worlds. 

“B-Boss…!” Gokudera winced, clutching at his stomach as he attempted to sit up. Tsuna merely continued to stare down at them with a blank look. She was just an empty shell now. Byakuran let out a laugh at their attempts to get her back to normal before wrapping an arm over her shoulders, pulling her to him.

“We will be quite happy together. And once the alliance has been finalized, the Millefiore family will be in charge of the Vongola family. Meaning the Vongola family will finally be knocked off its high pedestal and the Millefiore will be the biggest mafia family in Italy” Byakuran explained, chuckling more.

“No!” yelled a female voice as both Byakuran and Tsuna turned to their left at the source. 

“Yuni?” Byakuran questioned, raising a brow. Yuni never spoke out against him, but here she was, defying him. 

“Tsunayoshi! Listen to the sound of my voice! You must break free of Byakuran’s spell, the fate of the Vongola family depends on it!” Yuni declared, looking at Tsuna with large, determined eyes. Tsuna continued to stare blankly at her, her expression unchanging. 

“Tsunayoshi!” Hibari exclaimed, looking up at her determinedly. Mukuro glanced at him, blinking a few times before turning and yelling her name as well.

“Everyone call out! Tsuna’s is still in there, she’ll hear us if we yell loud enough!” Ryohei called out, pumping his fist into the air. Everyone looked at him before yelling and calling out Tsuna’s name. 

“Tsunayoshi!” Giotto yelled, rising back up to his feet, new hope burning inside of him. 

“Come back Tsunayoshi!!” Reborn yelled, fists clenched tightly. Tsuna could hear all the voices, a jumble and mix inside her head. Byakuran turned to glare at them all then looked down at Tsuna, seeing her eyes had remained unchanging. 

“Tsunayoshi!” Yuni yelled, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Tsuna’s eyes began to widen a little at the sight of the tears falling down Yuni’s cheeks. Her mouth slowly opened, her body beginning to move as she stepped away from Byakuran, slowly beginning to move towards Yuni. 

“Yu…ni…” Tsuna whispered, her eyes shifting between blank and emotion. 

“Tsunayoshi! You’re still in there, I know it! Come back!” Yuni pleaded, clenching her dress near her heart in prayer as her face remained stained in tears. Tsuna watched her before blinking, her eyes suddenly full of emotion. She’d managed to come out, but the spell Byakuran had put on her wasn’t going to give up without a fight. A sudden explosion of pain hit her hard, making her clutch her head, teeth grit in pain before throwing her head back in a pained scream. Everyone on the main floor gasped, watching in horror as Tsuna struggled to cope with the pain, whimpering and letting out screams as she staggered around. 

“No! You’re shifted the mind control! What have you done Yuni!?” Byakuran exclaimed, watching in horror as Tsuna struggled against his power. All his hard work was about to be undone if he didn’t act now!

“This is the first and last time you’ll disobey me Yuni!” Byakuran declared, charging forward to strike at Yuni. Yuni let out a scream of fright, jumping back as Tsuna snapped back to reality, seeing the charge. She watched, mouth agape before reaching out to try and get to Yuni in time.

“NO!!!!” she exclaimed, feeling a burst of power course through her and suddenly explode throughout the room. Byakuran was thrown into the wall with a loud crash, collapsing to the ground painfully. The entire building reverberated with the shock of the explosion, making everyone cover or duck from the burst of light and flames. When everyone was brave enough to uncover their eyes, they all gasped to see Tsuna was standing there, coated entirely in white flames. Her hair and dress were dancing wildly in the flames, looking almost as if she were standing in a tornado. Her eyes were coated over in gold, her expression stern as she turned to look at Byakuran.

“I don’t believe it… This is… Ultimate Dying Will Mode... No one’s achieved this for over hundreds of years…” Reborn whispered, looking up at Tsuna in shock and admiration. Byakuran managed to crawl up from his spot, looking at Tsuna in shock. 

“Amazing… This makes me want you even more now!!” Byakuran cackled, readying his hands for battle.

“You can’t have her Byakuran! Kick his ass little sister!” Giotto yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth like a loud speaker. Tsuna nodded, her expression stern as Byakuran lit himself in orange flames. 

“Now to subdue you!” Byakuran exclaimed, jumping up and propelling himself at Tsuna. She stood there, waiting for him to get closer, before merely waving a hand and sending Byakuran propelled straight up, smashing through the roof and up into the air. After waiting a little, Tsuna realized he’d stayed out there for the battle and was waiting for her now. Looking down at Yuni, she managed a small smile.

“I’m going. I will make Byakuran answer for everything he’s done” Tsuna stated, seeing Yuni look at her uncertainly.

“Tsunayoshi… Be careful…” Yuni wished, managing to give Tsuna a bright smile. Tsuna nodded, looking up at the hole in the roof she’d made. Placing her hands down at her sides, she blasted some white flames from them, sending her flying up into the air and out the hole, up into the open air. Spotting Byakuran blasting an attack at her, she dodged with ease, circling around and flying straight at Byakuran. 

“Come on! We have to go outside! Tsunayoshi needs us!” Giotto declared, beginning to help the injured as they rushed to head outside. 

“Sir Giotto! Please let me accompany you! I want to be there for Tsunayoshi!” Yuni pleaded, rushing down the stairs into the main hall. Giotto looked up at her, nodding in approval. Yuni nodded in return, helping more of the injured as they rushed out into the open, watching the air battle that was taking place. Tsuna was overpowering Byakuran easily, but surely Byakuran had something up his sleeves. 

“This is too easy…” Mukuro whispered, watching in concern. 

“The last person who achieved Ultimate Dying Will only lasted 5 minutes before they were so weak they collapsed into a week’s coma… Tsuna’s already lasted 2 minutes…” Reborn stated, earning shocked looks from everyone. Tsuna had a time limit?! Watching in worry, the time passed as the two took blows at each other before Tsuna flew down to land on the ground, panting heavily. Her body was still coated in white flames and she still looked like she was in a tornado, but she was looking paler. Byakuran laughed from his spot up in the sky.

“Looks like you’re tiring out! Now’s my chance!” Byakuran declared, flying up before charging straight down at Tsuna. Tsuna closed her eyes, calming her breathing before the flames suddenly burst in intensity. Leaning forward, she placed her hands together, leaning back before opening her eyes as she lifted her hands up to point at Byakuran. Frowning, she focused all her energy in her hands. Byakuran let out a cackle, mere milliseconds away from colliding with Tsuna. She let the energy loose, creating a large explosion in the area. Byakuran’s scream filled the area along with the loud boom, the force being enough to fling everyone back several meters off their feet. 

“Tsunayoshi!” Reborn yelled, being the first to jump up to his feet. He gasped, freezing to the spot as he saw the damage and overall result. Giotto lifted his head, looking at the scene and gasped as well. A huge crater had been blown into the ground, resembling the crater a meteorite would make. Byakuran was laying on the ground, battered and heavily injured, but Tsuna was nowhere to be seen.


	25. Future Conclusion

“Tsunayoshi!” Giotto called out, scanning the area. Steam and smoke rose from the destroyed ground in the crater.

“Apprehend Byakuran!” G ordered, pointing at Byakuran’s body. The guardians that were able to move rushed over to Byakuran’s body, turning him over and examining him. He was still alive, somehow. But Tsunayoshi was nowhere to be seen though. 

“He’s alive! Just barely though…” Asari stated, looking over Byakuran as Knuckles began to slowly heal his life threatening injuries. 

“Hey Knuckles! Why’re you healing him?” Gokudera snarled, walking to Knuckles and glaring harshly. Knuckles looked up at him, frowning.

“I am a priest, I will not allow anyone to die again… Byakuran has done a lot of wrong, but the only way to make him pay for that is for him to be alive and work to correct those wrongs. Or make him serve time. Death is the easy way out” Knuckles explained, looking sadly at Byakuran’s body. Reborn walked up slowly to Byakuran, then began to look around the area.

“I don’t see her anywhere… Giotto… I have no idea where she may be…” Reborn stated sadly, turning to look back at Giotto before freezing, his eyes widening in shock. Giotto raised a brow, turning to look behind him and everyone else, gasping at what he saw. Was that… Ginevra? Their mother? No, she looked similar, but her eyes were the wrong colour. The woman began walking to them, smiling gently.

“Good day, looks like the battle’s over. I’m glad, otherwise I wouldn’t exist right now at the moment” the woman stated, giggling a little. Giotto watched her curiously before gasping in realization. 

“Tsuna… Yoshi?” he asked, seeing her turn to look at him, nodding her head. Giotto’s mouth fell agape. This was Tsunayoshi from the future? 

“If you’re here, please tell me, where is the Tsunayoshi of this time?” Giotto pleaded, rushing to her and grabbing her shoulders gently. Now that Giotto was closer, he realized she actually looked about his age now. She smiled reassuringly.

“I assure you she’s getting the best treatment possible… She’s in my time, being treated by my guardians and husband. I got hit by Lambo’s ten year bazooka, but instead of working the normal way, it sent me back into the past and brought the Tsunayoshi of now into the future” she explained, smiling gently at Giotto. Giotto let out a sigh of relief, letting her shoulders go as he collapsed down to his knees. The future Tsuna smiled gently, looking up at Reborn.

“I’m glad you’re back Reborn. Tsunayoshi’s going to be so happy to see you, I guarantee it. Welcome back” she greeted before kneeling down to Giotto and putting her hands on his shoulders.

“I know the reason why you handed over the Vongola family to me brother… The current Tsunayoshi doesn’t know, but I feel the need to confirm with you. It’s because you’re infertile, isn’t it? You can’t produce an off spring?” she whispered, making Giotto look up at her, blinking in shock. It was a secret he’d kept from everyone. How had she figured it out? But it was true, Giotto was infertile. Being unable to produce an off spring, he saw it better to hand down the family to his little sister who might have better luck. He nodded, seeing her smile brightly at him.

“Well, you’ll be happy to hear that the next heir is actually on the way in my time” she announced, making Giotto gasp as he watched her stand back up on her feet. She turned to glance at her guardians, walking up to them. She stopped at Yamamoto, smiling gently.

“Takeshi, you’ll be happy to know that in my time, your father has remembered you. So hang tight, things will get better” she stated, seeing his eyes widen. She moved to Gokudera next, stopping in front of him.

“Hayato, thank you for always being by my side and helping me. Having you as my right hand man was one of the best decisions I ever made” she thanked, seeing him gasp and almost have tears form in his eyes.

“I live to serve you boss!” he declared happily. She giggled in response, heading to the next guardian. 

“Ryohei, thank you for everything. And don’t worry, you’re going to meet a nice lady who will accept you” she stated, giving him a smile before moving to Lambo. She knelt in front of him, gently picking him up and giving him a small squeeze.

“You’ll always be my baby brother Lambo. Thanks you little brat” she teased, feeling him flail in her arms. Letting him go, she gently ruffled his hair and stood back to her feet. Two left, Mukuro and Hibari. The future Tsuna knew that the current Tsuna was still indecisive, and couldn’t tell which of the two it was that she liked. 

“Mukuro, Hibari… I wanna say one thing. Don’t give up, Tsunayoshi will decide her feelings one day. Give her time, she’s a little slow at the moment in this department. Just be patient” she reassured them, giggling before looking down at the watch on her wrist. 

“Well, looks like time’s almost up. She’ll be back in a few seconds, my suggestion is getting her to emergency care straight away” she suggested, smiling brightly at everyone before there was a sudden cloud of smoke. The future Tsuna had disappeared, revealing the current Tsuna on the ground, her dress tattered. She was unconscious, her energy heavily drained. 

“Boss!” Gokudera exclaimed, rushing to her as Mukuro, Hibari, Ryohei, Yamamoto and Lambo all did the same. Ryohei began attempting to share some of his flames with her, his flames being the same healing energy as Knuckles’. 

“Tsunayoshi! Hang in there! If you don’t… that future we saw will never happen!” Mukuro pleaded, gently taking her hand in his, clutching it as if it were a lifeline. Hibari looked down at her, feeling himself getting emotional.

“She’s really weak…” Ryohei stated, looking down at the state she was in. 

“Let me help. Asari, you take over healing Byakuran!” Knuckles declared, rushing over to Tsuna and beginning to help Ryohei heal her. With the two of them performing a joint effort, Tsuna finally had enough strength to breathe properly. Giotto stumbled to where Tsuna laid, kneeling down by her and after looking at the others and requesting he be allowed to move her, picked her up gently into his arms. He gently cradled her torso and head, holding her against his chest and brushing hair from her face. She looked like she was sleeping. 

“Tsunayoshi… I wish that that future happens for you… If it did, I’d be very happy…” Giotto whispered, giving her another gentle squeeze. He wasn’t sure how long they remained like this but he jumped when he felt movement. Gasping and looking down, his eyes widened to see her smiling up at him. Her eyes were half lidded and she looked sleepy, but she appeared to be alright.

“Tsunayoshi!” Giotto exclaimed happily, tears filling his eyes. 

“Hi Big Brother… I’m sorry… Did I keep you waiting long?” she asked, her voice a little hoarse. Giotto smiled gently, shaking his head.

“No, you did perfectly… Byakuran’s in custody, he will answer for everything he’s done. You’re alive, I’m alive, and look who else is alive” Giotto stated, lifting her up a little and pointing at Reborn. Tsuna blinked, her eyes still a little blurry, and rubbed her eyes. When she glanced again, she gasped, freezing. She couldn’t believe it! Was she imagining things? 

“Reborn…” she whispered, blinking in shock before suddenly scrambling to her feet awkwardly. Giotto gasped, blinking in shock as he watched her stumble, jumping up to her feet and beginning to dash at Reborn. 

“Reborn!” she exclaimed, tackling him suddenly. Reborn appeared to be shocked upon the impact, both of them falling backwards as Reborn landed harshly against the ground, Tsuna kneeling nearby him. Tears streamed down her face as she smiled happily at him.

“You’re alive! I knew it! Thank goodness!” she babbled, wiping at her eyes as Reborn chuckled, sitting up and gently petting her head.

“You did good Tsunayoshi… I’m so proud. And sorry I took so long to come back” Reborn stated, seeing Tsuna smile as she wiped at more tears, using the back of her hands. 

“You just suddenly disappeared after saying you had something to protect, and it was me! Then I never saw you again after that! Stupid Reborn! Don’t you ever do something like that again! You’re not allowed to leave ever again, you hear me!?” Tsuna scolded, sobbing into her hands, her shoulders shaking. Reborn smiled sadly, moving his hand from her head to gently wrap it over her shoulders, pulling her so her head rested by his chest. Leaning her forehead against his chest, she gripped at the shirt and continued to sob against it. Reborn just smiled gently, rubbing her back and comforting her.

“I’m so happy for you Tsunayoshi… Now we can return back to Vongola castle and live there happily” Giotto stated, walking to them and smiling gently. 

“And we can resume your training” Reborn added, making Tsuna jump back and look at him in disbelief. 

“What? Don’t I get a small break?” she whined, earning laughter from everyone in the area. 

“If I did that, you’d get slack!” Reborn chuckled, letting out some laughter. Tsuna pouted, her face still tear stained.

\--

It’d been a few weeks since that day. Tsuna was attending school again and knew that every time she came back, she’d have both Reborn and Giotto to greet her. She no longer needed the fedora to keep her calm, and returned it back to Reborn. She remembered Bianchi and Dino’s reaction upon Reborn’s return. Reborn had actually hid behind Tsuna when he spotted Bianchi rushing to him, but stood there reluctantly as Bianchi hugged and snuggled up to him. He looked so unamused that Tsuna couldn’t help but laugh. She regretted it instantly though as Reborn made her run five laps of Vongola Castle. Dino had burst into tears, hugging him almost the same way Bianchi had, just without the romantic notions Bianchi had. 

Now Tsuna was wandering the school halls, trying to get to her next class on time. Everyone seemed much happier. Tsuna was able to hang out with the girls now without having to worry about anyone trying to kill her. Now that Yuni had taken over the Millefiore family, both families had a good relationship between them, forming a new alliance. Byakuran was holed up in a cell in the Vongola dungeon, barely seeing any light and getting bread and water every day. Occasionally it was mixed up and he was given some soup, but that was Tsuna actually sneaking it in for him. She hated Byakuran, that’s true, but no one deserved to eat nothing but bread and water. So she snuck in some soup for him whenever she could, greeting him with a kind smile in hopes that it would change the way he did things and viewed the world. 

“Tsunayoshi!” called out a voice as Tsuna stopped, turning to look and seeing Mukuro approaching her. 

“Hey Mukuro, is everything okay?” she asked, tilting her head curiously. Mukuro smirked, stopping in front of her. 

“I was wondering if you wanted to ditch school and go out on a date with me.” Mukuro offered, making Tsuna jump back with a squeak, her face bright red. 

“A-A what!? A date!?” she exclaimed, her face burning crimson. Mukuro chuckled, smirking more. 

“Hey! No ditching school!” yelled another voice, making Tsuna squeak again as she turned to see Hibari approaching, a death glare written on his face. This was it, she was dead! But to her surprise, Hibari didn’t target her, he charged straight for Mukuro.

“You’re not allowed to make her ditch school and go on a date with you, understand?” Hibari declared, glaring daggers at Mukuro. Mukuro returned the glare, making Tsuna sigh as she swear she saw sparks from where their glares collided. This wasn’t going to get sorted anytime soon.

\--

“Did you meet them?” asked a male voice, making the future Tsuna turn to smile at him.

“Yes, I did. I met all of them and told them some things of the future” she replied, walking up to him and feeling him wrap his arms around her in an embrace. 

“Did you tell them who you ended up with?” he asked, seeing her shake her head.

“No, I told them both not to give up and that she would figure out her feelings soon. Just to be patient” she replied, hearing him chuckle lightly.

“But I did tell Giotto about our expected baby” she stated, seeing his eyes widen before he smiled gently, putting a hand on her belly gently, feeling the small bump already showing. 

“I’m so glad you chose me. And now we’ll be starting a family of our very own. The Vongola family will continue” he thanked, hearing her giggle in response, rubbing her belly too.

“Yes, will continue for generations to come” she concluded, smiling gently as he kissed her forehead, welcoming her back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the story. This has been a rollercoaster to write. I was expecting it to go a little longer, but I guess the story worked out its own conclusion. I decided to keep the pairing open, (mainly cause I couldn't choose.) so the pairing is open to whoever you want Tsuna to be with. I'm glad you stuck with it for so long, and I hope to be able to share more work with you all.


	26. Parallel Worlds Access Available

The first chapter of Parallel Worlds Access is up!


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